All Tied Up
by ajkiyo
Summary: Sasuke returns to Konoha after five years to find himself with the responsibility of caring for Naruto's ex-girlfriend. His pregnant ex-girlfriend. After the surfacing of foreign emotions and resurfacing of old enemies, Sasuke begins to wonder if she's really worth it. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Bastard!"

He tensed right as the body slammed into him, knocking him against the door as arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. Blue eyes sparkled as a wide smile greeted him, stretching the whiskers on the blond's tanned face.

"Idiot." He greeted, as his best friend took a step back and placed his arms leisurely behind his neck. He scoffed quietly as he fished the old key out of his pocket, turning his back on the young man to open the desolate lock.

"Hey, don't I deserve more than that?" the blond griped, pushing his way between the dark-haired boy and now-open door. He placed his hand on the intruding head and forcefully pushed it away, stepping past the annoying obstacle into his dusty room. "Hey, at least tell me where you've been for the past five years!"

The door slammed behind him.

"Sasukeeeee!"

Said man ignored the pounding at his door as he dropped his small pack in the entrance and followed a foul odor into the kitchen. Burnt ramen marinated in a pot on the stove. With an annoyed cluck, he made his way back to the door and swung it open, inadvertently causing his friend to faceplant onto the cold floor.

"Naruto, have you been using my kitchen?" he asked, his cold voice sliding easily out of his throat. Naruto sat up and crossed his legs, rubbing his hand against his neck sheepishly.

"Well, I miss you sometimes, bastard."

Sasuke's eye ticked.

"Clean it up." He turned smoothly, leaving the blond scrambling on the floor. The apartment was just as he left it, with sparse furniture and dull white walls. Nothing unnecessary occupied the small area, only a table here and a couch that Naruto dragged in from the dump there… He pushed open the door to his bedroom, revealing the dim cavern, his lip twitching in distaste at the tangled blue comforter. So Naruto had not been confined to the kitchen. As he stepped closer, his eye caught a glimmer of bright pink hair. And his visitors had not been confined to just Naruto…

A loud clatter of metal from the kitchen drew an exasperated sigh from his lips. He turned slowly, only to find blue eyes already shoved close to his face as a rough hand waved a phone in front of his face, oblivious to the fact that Sasuke couldn't read the moving text.

"Sakura needs me right now. Meet us for dinner later!" the boy spouted, almost running into the wall as he remembered, "Oh, I almost forgot! I was supposed to get my stuff from Hinata today. You can do that for me, right?"

Naruto left without waiting for Sasuke's confirmation. He let out a heavy sigh before falling into his bed. He deserved a rest in his own bed after so many years… His eyes drifted slowly closed, his body stilling and his mind falling into tranquility. His breathing steadied as he slipped further into darkness.

Only to be startled into consciousness by his blaring fire alarm. Grumbling, he dragged himself to the kitchen, where the hyperactive boy had strewn various pots and pans, and had left the stove on. Thick smoke spiraled from one of the pots, assaulting Sasuke's lungs before he clamped a hand over his nose and mouth, hurrying toward the sink to retrieve the fire extinguisher.

"Damn it, what did the idiot do?" he wondered out loud as he lowered himself to the floor to begin cleaning his friend's mess.

* * *

The Hyuga mansion towered above him, the family name etched deep into the smooth wood of the gate. He sighed exasperatedly as he heaved one of the obstructions out of his way, stepping foot onto the expansive property. The Hyuga family was one of the well-known corporations in Konoha, famous for their revolutionary gps systems. Despite their wealth and expansive family, they preferred to stay clustered together in one neighborhood. It wasn't an attitude confined only to the Hyuga family. Many of the large corporations kept their families clustered in neighborhoods away from others – the Aburame, Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi – even his own family before the tragedy.

The main house was easy to find, located at the center of the compound, considerably bigger than the quarters around it. Despite the extravagant size of the abode, its architecture was minimalist, even the door was a meager slab of wood, he noted as his fists rapped against the polished surface.

The door glided open to reveal the glowering face of Neji Hyuga. Sasuke scoffed as his cold black eyes met the older boy's cold white eyes. The Hyuga was remarkably similar to the boy Sasuke remembered. Long hair, white clothes, the only difference being that this man lacked the hatred that used to dwell deep in the recesses of his eyes and the creases of his brow.

"Where's Hinata?" he demanded unceremoniously, glancing expectantly behind Neji, narrowly missing the souring of the young man's expression.

"She's not here." The stoic boy answered simply, closing the door quickly, but not quicker than Sasuke could jam his foot between the door and the doorframe. He let out a hefty (for him) sigh, already annoyed by the situation.

"I'm picking up the idiot's things." He stated, glaring at the long-haired man.

"She doesn't live here anymore." Neji countered. The two locked glares for a few moments before Neji sighed. "Check if Kiba or Shino know where she is."

* * *

The Aburame lived on the edges of the city, having a tendency for reclusiveness and a need for natural space to house their special inhabitants. The insects swarmed Sasuke seemingly as soon as he stepped onto their territory.

"I do not know where Hinata is." The boy's muffled voice spoke from behind a high collar. "Why? That is because Hinata moved shortly after her breakup with Naruto. I have not heard from her for weeks. I believe she has changed her phone number as well."

* * *

The strong floral aroma hit him as overwhelmingly as the girl's squeal at the sight of him.

"Sasuke! You're back!" Ino chirped from behind the counter, a smile spreading over her face as she clapped her hands exuberantly. "Sakura's gonna be so happy! Have you seen her yet? Have you seen Naruto?"

"I'm trying to find Hinata." Sasuke cut to the point. A sly smirk twisted onto Ino's mouth as she leaned forward, her eyes gleaming at the chance for gossip.

"Oh really?" she drawled.

"Naruto wants his stuff back." The Uchiha grit out, annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Hmmm well I can check if she has a number registered with us, but I've heard that she disappeared after Naruto broke up with her." Ino hummed, thumbing through her phone. "It really shocked all of us when they broke up. They were so cute together. Oh, I bet you didn't even know they were together."

Ino chatted amiably, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. He kept his face blank, trying to keep his annoyance from showing. The blond continued to blab despite his lack of response.

"They got together about two years after you left. It was actually kind of romantic. Hinata got kidnapped by some crazy guy who wanted to marry her and Naruto saved her! They were together for about three years after that. I was sure they were gonna get married." Ino pouted into her phone.

"Ino." Sasuke interrupted, drawing her gaze to his dark eyes. "Get on with it."

"Right." She blurted, quieting for a few minutes before finally flashing her screen at him. He copied the number into his phone quickly, pressing the call button and holding the device to his ear as it rang.

"Hello, you've reached Hina-" he ended the call quickly, grumbling as he stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

"She probably won't answer an unknown number." Ino shrugged, smiling apologetically.

"What region is her area code registered for?" Sasuke demanded as Ino hummed.

"The number is still registered under her old address." She provided. Sasuke huffed, running a hand over his eyes in a futile effort to soothe his incoming headache. He turned without a word, ignoring the girl as she called out after him.

"Let me know if you find her!"

* * *

The sun had already slipped past the horizon when he slunk into a small café at the fringes of Konoha. The lights buzzed slightly overhead, and the tables were only sparsely filled. It didn't seem like the most sanitary place, but it was at least a place to sit. He closed his eyes in annoyance as he waited for service. He had been out searching for any clues of the girl's whereabouts, as if he had nothing better to do than look for his best friend's ex-girlfriend.

After he thought about it for a while, he supposed he didn't.

"Welcome to—oh!" a soft voice broke him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes slowly to regard the woman before him, dark hair pulled behind her, odd white eyes widened at his appearance, nametag gleaming on her ample bosom.

"I've been looking for you all day."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm so sorry about all the trouble I've caused." Hinata spoke as she hugged an oversized sweater over her tight waitress's uniform, stepping out of his car as he followed her, eyeing the desolate apartment complex in distaste.

"I had to talk to Ino." He griped as he followed her, a bit surprised at the giggle she elicited at his comment. He glanced sideways at her. She had loosed her hair from its bindings so it now framed her face neatly, a hand covered her mouth as she smiled at his misfortune. A slow smirk found itself onto his face as he studied her features.

She fumbled with her keys as they approached the doorway, taking longer than necessary to unlock the shoddy wooden door and push it open, flicking on a switch that only barely lit the small room. A bed was tucked into the far corner, made with surprisingly clean white sheets and a light purple comforter. In another corner, a sink and microwave passed as a kitchen unit, and a couch settled oddly in the center of the room.

"I'll get a box." She offered as she skirted around him, lifting the blankets of her bed to reveal a collection of containers and a small dresser tucked under the bed. She opened a drawer and began to fill the box. "Oh, Sasuke, I think I have one of his special ramen cups under the sink there. Could you grab that for me?"

He waltzed toward the sink, his hands still stuffed in his pockets. He bent down and opened the doors, wrinkling his nose as he revealed a collection of filled trash bags. He shoved them aside, revealing a collection of canned and boxed food. Shuffling the rations around, he found Naruto's ramen in the back. Leaning in to grab it, he rubbed against the trash bags. Cursing, he withdrew, accidentally bringing one of them with him.

"Shit," he cursed as the bag ripped open, spilling its contents on the floor.

"Here." He thrusted the ramen into Hinata's hands. "Where do you keep your trash bags?"

"Oh, hold on." She scrambled to her feet and ran to the couch, where she practically dove to retrieve a bright orange box from underneath. She produced a white bag with a smile, scurrying over to the heap of trash. He bent to help her, grabbing handfuls of trash as she picked up the waste piece by piece.

"Why do you have all your trash stuffed under your sink?" he demanded, thrusting his fistful of trash into the bag she held open.

"Well, the landlord never told me about the trash pickup schedule, so I've been keeping it all under there." She admitted sheepishly, her eyes downcast. He clucked in annoyance as he pulled the rest of the filled vessels from under the sink.

A flash of blurred fur, a piercing scream, and they were both on their feet, Hinata practically clinging to him, her eyes wide as she surveyed the floor, trying to find the last trace of the mouse that had scurried from under the sink.

"That's why you don't keep your trash under your sink like that." He chastised, glaring at the top of her head as her fingers loosened their grip on his bicep. She looked up at him, a deep blush covering her cheeks as she suddenly leaped away from him. Dipping into a short bow, she apologized, before running out of the apartment. He followed her with his eyes, huffing in annoyance as the door finally slammed shut.

He gathered the last of the trash he could easily grab into the bag before picking up the remaining small bits that had evaded his grasp. Little bits of floss, a few stray hairs, and a little pink and white stick with two lines on a little screen. He tossed it into the bag without a second thought, until his brain finally caught up and he scrambled to find the discarded contraption, retrieving it and ogling it with wide eyes.

The door swung open and he shot to his feet, shoving his hands into his pocket as Hinata arrived with an older man, whose eyes lingered on him warily before sliding to the mountain of trash on the floor. Hinata pointed to the sink, her eyes still wide and a blush still dusting her cheeks as she spoke to the man.

"It came from under there." She provided. The landlord let out a hefty sigh, ambling toward the sink and peeking underneath it.

"I don't see nothing." He muttered, wiping the back of his hand across his nose.

"Well it ran out, and—"

"Look, I can't have you wasting my time like this. You can buy some mouse traps if you're scared. Get rid of this trash." His eyes flit to Sasuke's form. " _All_ of it."

"Of course. If you could just let me know when trash pickup is—" she jumped as a distinct gunshot fired nearby. The landlord grumbled as he pushed past her to the door.

"I'm raising your rent." He bit out as he kicked the door open.

"I can't afford—"

"Two people, two rents."

"Oh, no, he's not—"

The door slammed. Hinata slumped onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.

"You were going to have two people living here soon anyway." Sasuke reminded her. She looked up at him, blinking back tears and inadvertently pulling on his usually untouchable heartstrings. The question seemed to be on her tongue, but instead she emitted a low whine. He rolled his eyes. "Does Naruto know?"

She shook her head.

He scanned the shoddy apartment again before returning to the girl curled up on the ratty couch. His fingers twisted the little stick that he still held in his pocket.

"He wouldn't want his child living here. Why don't you move back home?" he prodded, but she only shook her head in response, falling to her side to lean against the armrest of the chair. It creaked under her weight.

"My father disowned me when I started dating Naruto." She finally answered softly, her eyes anywhere but on Sasuke.

"Then move in with a friend. Or with Naruto."

She shook her head again, pulling her legs closer to her chest.

"I don't want anyone to know, because I know that Naruto will find out." She began to play with the hem of her shirt as she talked, her old nervous habits kicking in. "If he knows, he'll feel like it's his responsibility to care for it and for me. It would be unfair of me to place that burden on him."

He nearly groaned in frustration at her words. His fingers formed a fist around the little stick.

"You think that Naruto wouldn't want to know his own child? Who did you date, because it sure as hell couldn't have been the Naruto that I know." His words were harsher than he intended, and the girl closed herself off from him, leaning her face into her legs and allowing the tears to stream out of her eyes.

After a while, the guilt nibbled away at him. He grew tired of hearing her soft sniffles and in order to get her to calm down, he spoke.

"Look." She didn't look, but rather continued her silent sobbing into her knees. He continued nonetheless. "If you don't want to tell Naruto or anyone else, that's fine. But at least come live with me."

This drew her attention, and before she could ask the question lurking behind her eyes, he provided one.

"I'm not going to leave a pregnant girl in this hellhole." He snapped. Kicking the newly-filled bag of trash out of his way, he marched to the door. "Now grab your stuff, I'm leaving in ten minutes."

He didn't, in fact, care about leaving a pregnant girl in this hellhole. What he did care about was how annoying Naruto would be if he found out that he left his child in such a place. So, he plopped himself into his car and waited patiently for _twenty_ minutes as Hinata shuttled her belongings into his trunk.

It was a relatively long drive from her apartment to his. They didn't speak during the drive, but she would sniffle every few minutes, reminding him of her presence and grating on his nerves. When they arrived, he helped her carry her things into his house, if only because he didn't feel like waiting for her to do it herself. He led her to his room, kicking the door open and dropping her things. She set her load delicately on the ground, careful not to let anything fall.

"Is this your room?" she asked, glancing around at the room. It was just as he had left it, although a thick layer of dirt now covered the once white furnishing. Sakura had apparently slept in his bed, but couldn't be bothered to do a little upkeep.

"I don't need to sleep in your room." Hinata protested, bending back down to pick up her things. "I can sleep on the couch, so…"

"You're sleeping in here." Sasuke interrupted coldly, brushing past her and closing the door with an audible thud on his way. He dropped onto his couch, pulling breath slowly through his nostrils.

Five years, and it seemed like it would be much longer before he could finally sleep in his own bed.


	3. Chapter 3

He woke up promptly at six, as he did every morning, and made his way to the bathroom. Habitually, he stepped into the shower, only to remember that his clothes were locked in his bedroom along with a girl. His best friend's ex-girl.

He put on the clothes he had worn last night, and walked back into his living area, only to find his nuisance in the kitchen, peering through his cupboards. Leaving her for the moment, he snuck back into his room to procure a new white shirt and baggy pair of pants. Hinata had packed her things neatly against the wall, and it looked like someone had dusted the room. The bed was made, as well.

When he returned to the kitchen, Hinata was now sitting at his table. She greeted him sweetly, a smile on her face and a dusting of a blush on her cheeks. But as he moved about the kitchen, trying to scrounge for something to eat, she began to fidget in her chair. He pulled a box of cereal from his cabinet, only to find that it was expired by about six years.

"I don't think anything in here is edible." She finally spoke, and he grunted in reply. She returned to her nervous fidgeting as he pulled boxes from his cabinet, tossing them into his trashcan without even checking the dates.

"Um, Sasuke…" her voice was almost too soft to be heard, but he paused in his quest to quirk an eyebrow at her. She met his gaze for a fraction of a second before glancing quickly away.

"The thing is," she started, but then second guessed herself. "Well, I… Um, I usually walk to work, but since we're so far away, and I'm not sure exactly how far away we are… exactly…"

"I'll drive you." He cut off her ramblings. She perked up at his offer, her face growing brighter and her hands relaxing.

"Thank you so much!"

"Hn."

* * *

"Wait here." She instructed as they pulled up to the diner. She scurried out the door and into the small yellow building, returning minutes later with a white Styrofoam box. He rolled down his window and she thrust the meal into his hands, thanking him again for driving her to work. He threw the container onto the seat she had occupied until moments earlier, uninterested with it until her form retreated back into the establishment.

His first stop was to a locksmith. It was only about fifteen minutes away, but the smell of whatever Hinata had given him tantalized his nose, and as he pulled into the driveway, his stomach growled. Reluctantly, he opened the thing to reveal an omelet stuffed with tomatoes. He ate it in two bites.

After the locksmith, he stopped at Konoha University. The building stood proudly at the outskirts of the city. Most people in Konoha attended the college after attending Konoha High, which they attended after Konoha Academy. There was a lot of local pride in Konoha.

He found his way to a squat building, and pushed his way into the office where he was greeted by a cheery blond secretary. After a short wait, he was hustled into the office of a man with graying hair.

"Pleased to meet you, Sasuke." The man shook his hand stoutly before turning back to his computer to click through some files. "I'm pleased to welcome you to Konoha University, it will be an honor to work with you. I understand how hard it must have been to come back, especially since you didn't complete high school. We hope to support you throughout your academic career. Do you have any ideas of what you'd like to accomplish here?"

"I want a physics degree." Sasuke stated bluntly. The man paused to blink skeptically at Sasuke.

"That's very interesting. Well, we can start you on that path if you would like. I can sign you up for some of those introductory courses, and I'll recommend you to take a few general studies classes as well."

"I'm only interested in physics." Sasuke protested.

"I'm sorry, but it's campus policy that you complete these classes. I can answer any questions that you have." The man finished with a smile.

"No, I'm good, thank you."

On his way out, Sasuke was halted by someone yelling his name. He turned to find Neji heading toward him with a boisterous girl, one that was repeatedly calling his name. They caught up to him. The girl smiled sheepishly, raising a single hand in greeting.

"I thought you graduated." Sasuke stated bluntly, ignoring the girl in favor of Neji. He didn't recognize her, after all.

"TenTen and I are pursuing graduate degrees." Neji responded, his tone just as curt as Sasuke's. "Did you find Hinata?"

Sasuke paused for only a moment before answering.

"No, I wasn't able to find her."

* * *

He picked her up from work, as well. She had pulled a sweatshirt over her uniform again, and carried two containers in her hands. He waited patiently as she opened the door and clambered in, adjusting to the seat and fastening her seatbelt. She greeted him cheerily, but he only grunted in reply before pulling out of the parking lot.

When they got home, he pulled into his parking lot and exited the car hastily. She, however, sank low into her seat. When he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her, she merely pointed to his door, where a shock of blond hair stood, his hands shoved into his pockets. Opening the door again, he instructed her to stay low.

"What do you want, idiot?" he asked. The blond turned around, an annoyed look pinching his face.

"Why'd you change the lock?" Naruto whined as Sasuke turned his key. After the click of the lock, they entered the apartment. Naruto collapsed on his couch, reaching for the remote.

"And you skipped dinner last night. Sakura was so excited to see you." He drawled as he idly flipped through channels. Sasuke plucked the remote out of his hand and turned off the tv.

"You're not staying here." Sasuke threw the remote back onto the couch before leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

"Did you get my stuff from Hinata?" Naruto asked, a frown marring his features.

"Yeah." Sasuke pushed off the wall, traversing into his room for a moment to grab the box full of Naruto's things. He returned and plopped it on Naruto's lap, causing the blond to buckle under its weight.

"Wow, I didn't realize she had so much." The boy giggled, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. His expression turned serious as he regarded Sasuke once more. "How is she?"

Sasuke paused for a moment, mulling over whether or not to tell his friend the truth. It would certainly be easier than withholding the information from him. Surely he would find out eventually. It would get that girl out of his apartment. But…

"She's fine."

"That's good to hear." Naruto smiled. "She kind of disappeared after we broke up, I was worried that something awful happened to her. But she called me yesterday from some strange phone number and asked if I wanted to meet in the parking lot of a grocery store, of all places, to pick up my things. I figured she just wanted some distance."

Sasuke figured she was just fucking weird.

Naruto left after a few moments of chatting Sasuke's ear off. Or, he was pushed out by Sasuke. After he was sure that the blond had left, Sasuke exited his apartment and yanked open the door to his car, revealing Hinata curled up under the glovebox. They walked back in together, and ate what Hinata had brought home in silence.

"I got you a key." He called after Hinata as she padded back to his room after dinner. She stopped with a hand on the doorknob, her mouth forming a small o. A blush rose to her cheeks a few seconds later and she waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh, thank you so much. You didn't have to do that." She scurried back to him, plucking the small piece of metal from his outstretched hand. He scoffed at her embarrassment.

"You're not a prisoner. It would be annoying if I had to go with you every time you left."

Although he spoke as though it were nothing, she held the key close to her chest, as if he would take it back any moment. With a few more words of gratitude, she finally returned to his room, shutting the door quietly after her. With her in her room, he sunk into the couch.

One day down.


	4. Chapter 4

He drove her to work every day for the week that she had lived with him. She cooked him breakfast in the morning and dinner when she returned home – if she returned home at a reasonable hour. Her schedule seemed chaotic to him, there was no consistency. As much as that aspect annoyed him, her presence did not.

Not as much as he thought it would have, anyway. She was a tidy roommate. She cleaned up after herself, and sometimes after him. Generally, she kept herself locked in her room when they were home, and as for her symptoms, he hadn't noticed any, except for the few times he had heard her retching in the bathroom. He could deal with that, as long as she cleaned up after herself.

But as he retrieved his mail from his P.O. box, he became suddenly disturbed with her presence. A magazine was lodged within the few letters he had received – all junk. But this was a different kind of junk. This was addressed to _her_.

He dropped it on top of her lap when he entered the apartment. She was sitting at his table, waiting for something in the oven that smelled sickeningly sweet. With tentative fingers, she picked it up and examined the cover, before she flipped it open and started flipping through the pages.

"What is it?" he had positioned himself against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and his gaze fixed in a scowl.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I had my mail forwarded to this address." She glanced up from her reading. Over the past few days, she had grown more used to Sasuke's attitude. He reminded her of Neji, in a way, so she had become comfortable around his stoicism. She continued to speak as she returned to the glossy pages. "I hope it isn't too much trouble. I don't get much mail, mostly just this magazine every week."

"Do you really need it? How much money are you wasting on that every week?"

She pouted slightly at his words.

"I don't need it, of course, but look—" she held up a page for him to see, where a man dressed in some ridiculous costume was posing in a field of daisies. He scoffed at her, silently taking back his judgement that she was somewhat reasonable. There was _nothing_ reasonable about a woman who bought magazines to look at men—

"It's Lee." She provided with a bright smile. He paused in his cynical thinking, surprised at first by the words. Then he stepped closer, although it crossed his mind with the first step that she could very well be lying to him.

But there he was. In all his bushy-browed glory, he stood with one hand on his hip, the other extended in his trade-marked thumbs-up, the brightness of his teeth blinding even through the photograph. He was dressed in his traditional green jumpsuit, though some designer had made a few questionable altercations to the ensemble.

"I have more if you want to see them." Hinata offered, holding back a giggle at the look on Sasuke's face. Of course he wanted to see more, but he couldn't just _say_ that he wanted to look at more pictures of a grown man modelling.

Luckily for him, Hinata had already scurried into his (or was it hers now?) room, retrieving a large yellow envelope stuffed with old magazine pages. She pulled out a stack bound by a pink paperclip, spreading the contents before Sasuke.

"These are my favorite." She told him giddily as his eyes surveyed the brightly-colored papers. One of them depicted Lee, dressed in an odd baby blue romper, his eyes closed as he sniffed a rose. Another showed him in a worn-looking pair of jeans and a faded white shirt, sitting on the hood of an expensive looking car. His face was serious, but his round eyes and bowl cut offset the seriousness of his expression.

"Neji was able to get me tickets to see Lee at a fashion show once." Hinata told Sasuke as he tried to process the images before me. A soft giggle escaped her lips, drawing his attention back to her. "It was one of the best experiences of my life."

She pulled out a few more pictures, which he paged through, mesmerized by the display. He hadn't realized how transfixed he had been with the pictures until Hinata giggled at him again, pulling him out of his reverie.

"If you like them so much, maybe we should hang some up." She suggested, holding up a particularly sexual picture of Konoha's beautiful green wild beast. "Your apartment could use a bit of color."

He didn't _want_ pictures of one of his former self-proclaimed rivals on his wall, but she said it in such an innocently challenging way. She assumed that he _wouldn't_ tack pages of Rock Lee to his wall, which made him absolutely certain that it was the one thing he _had_ to do.

Grabbing a roll of tape from a drawer and a handful of pictures from the table, he began taping the ridiculous things to his once-proud wall. A few swift movements proved enough to fill a small space with about ten pages. That was enough, he assumed.

Hinata, however, had different ideas. She hopped onto the couch next to him with her hands clutched around the envelope. A giddy smile was stretched across her face as she thrust the envelope towards him.

"They all should go up!"

He wasn't sure exactly what made him listen to her. Maybe it was the perceived challenge that she thought he wouldn't, maybe it was the hopeful glisten of her pupil-less eyes, or maybe he actually wanted to do something weird. But he plucked the envelope readily from her fingers and retrieved its contents.

She took the tape from him, handing him pieces wordlessly as he moved across his wall, smothering the damn thing with the pictures. It took them almost half an hour, but in the end they stepped back to admire their work.

"What the fuck have we done?" he muttered, as he was hit with sudden realization that he had to _sleep_ under this wall. Hinata laughed instead, clapping her hands together with glee.

"I think it's beautiful." She looked up at him for approval, a goofy grin stretched across her face and her eyes shown with joy. As he looked down at her, for the first time taking a good look at her features, his stomach twisted.

He could think of something _else_ that was beautiful.

He tore his eyes away from her face, grunting as he shoved his hands in his pocket, turning away from her bright face. She seemed to droop as he turned away, but he shrugged off the feeling of guilt.

"I think your rolls are burning." He called over his shoulder as he walked into the bathroom. She gasped behind him, hurrying into the kitchen where the oven did, indeed, seem to be smoking. He turned on the shower and stepped in, cold water pouring over him. He felt dirty, somehow.

When he exited the bathroom, he found the door to Hinata's room closed, and her absent from the kitchen. A few blackened rolls had been scraped into the trashcan, but other than that there was no indication that anything had burned.

With a sigh, he dropped again onto his couch, this time all too aware of the pictures of Rock Lee in provocative poses above him. This would not be an easy night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed!**

* * *

Dinner with Naruto and Sakura was the last thing he wanted to do. They were loud, they were obnoxious, they grated on his nerves. But Naruto had been knocking on his door erratically for the past couple of days, demanding that Sasuke come eat with him and Sakura, or to let them in. If he hadn't acted soon, they would have taken the initiative to break into his house again. It's not like he expected privacy from the two, but he couldn't risk them seeing Hinata. Not yet.

So here he was, at some pompous restaurant Sakura had picked out, dressed in clothes that barely fit him. He was approached by a waiter as he entered, but waved him off. He knew where Naruto and Sakura were. He could hear them from outside.

Sakura, for her part, was dressed elegantly in a long emerald dress. Classy, if not a little low-cut. She would have been beautiful if her face wasn't blotched with anger as she chastised Naruto, who had apparently assumed that shorts and a plain black t-shirt were appropriate to wear to a venue such as this.

Her raucous shouting died down almost instantly as she spotted Sasuke, and her fierce attitude melted into submission as a blush dusted her cheeks. She pulled her hands, which had previously been spread across the table as if about to throw it, into her lap, shyly looking down at them before returning her gaze to him.

"Hello, Sasuke." Her voice had turned from aggressive to sweet in a matter of seconds. She peeked at him furtively behind her eyelashes. "It's so good to see you again."

He merely grunted as he took a seat, flipping open the menu in a desperate bid to distract himself from his two companions.

"Where have you been?" Sakura prompted, apparently unperturbed by his attempt to ignore her.

"Around." he kept his eyes trained on the menu, careful not to give any indication of interest.

"Sasuke's been even more of an asshole than usual since coming home." Naruto told Sakura, folding his arms behind his head. Turning to Sasuke, he continued. "Are you stressed about something?"

Before Sasuke could answer, a waiter arrived at their table, requesting their drink orders. Naruto ordered alcohol for both Naruto and Sasuke, irking his already-irritated friend further, while Sakura asked for a water.

"What made you come back?" Sakura pressed after the waiter left, turning her green eyes to Sasuke again.

"I'm going to Konoha University." He stated simply.

"Oh, I go to med school there!" Sakura beamed. "Maybe we can carpool, or meet up for lunch sometimes?"

"No."

"Don't be such a bastard, Sasuke." Naruto punched his arm. Sasuke grunted as he turned his attention back to his menu. When the waiter brought their drinks, he immediately reached for the beverage.

"I bet I can drink this faster than you, Sasuke." Naruto challenged, tightening his grip on the mug while the waiter hovered, wanting to take their order but not wanting to appear impolite. Sasuke took Naruto's challenge, gulping down the liquid at the same time as Naruto. They finished at the same time.

"I won!" Naruto claimed, slamming the empty mug on the table. The waiter jumped slightly at the loud noise, before attempting to draw their attention. Sakura, in an attempt to help the poor man, slammed her hands on the table, standing up, toppling her chair in the process.

"Naruto!" she roared, an angry twitch developing on her forehead.

"What? What did I do?" Naruto yelled right back, leaning away from her.

"This man is waiting for us to order, and you're too busy drinking!"

"Oh." Naruto turned, scratching his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. Do you have any ramen?"

The waiter politely explained that they did not, in fact have ramen, and recommended his choice to Naruto instead. After the three had ordered, the waiter collected their menus and left, just a little quicker than would be considered proper.

Sakura sighed heavily and rested her chin on her hand. Her eyes flicked shyly to Sasuke, staring at him unabashedly until he met her eyes. At that point, she turned her gaze to her lap, a light blush creeping across her cheeks.

With Sakura stuck in an uncharacteristic bout of timidity, Naruto took over the conversation, blabbing to Sasuke about his latest plans to become hokage. Sasuke didn't listen, decidedly more interested in the condensation dripping down the side of his empty mug than in Naruto's ramblings. The dinner proceeded in this pattern. When the check came, Sasuke paid and left without a word.

"Sasuke."

He stopped with his hand on his car door handle, trying to decide whether to turn around or to ignore her and speed away while he still could. Maybe it was due to spending too much time with Naruto, maybe the girl in his home had made him soft, but he retracted his hand and turned around.

"What do you want, Sakura?"

Her hands were clasped behind her back, her head tilted downward with a light blush still apparent on her cheeks. Her gaze was trained on her feet, with which she drew circles on the pavement.

"It was really nice seeing you tonight, Sasuke." She smiled, meeting his eyes. His stomach churned in an unpleasant manner. Feeling slightly sick, he turned around, reaching again for the car door.

A hand on his arm stopped him. He turned around to see Sakura, her eyes wide and forehead crinkled in desperate frustration.

"I still love you, Sasuke." Her words came out quickly, as if she was trying to tell him all she could before he fled. "I've loved you since the academy, I've loved you even when you left us, even when we thought you wouldn't come back. I waited for you to come home, I turned down so many dates because I _knew_ that you would come back. I saved myself for you, Sasuke. I want you to know how much I care about you."

"You don't know me." He responded instantly, shrugging her hand off of him and moving to open his car door. She lunged for him, locking her arms around his torso. Tears were streaming out of her eyes. He couldn't see them, but they soaked through the material of his shirt, dampening the skin of his chest.

"Of course I know you, Sasuke. We grew up together."

He tried to remove her arms from around him, but her grip was iron. With a little more force, he pried her from him, hands tightened almost painfully around her wrists. She didn't seem to mind that. With a little push, he created enough distance to get into his driver's seat.

"I'm not going to give up on you, Sasuke." She called. Sasuke slammed his door and drove away. His mind was reeling. He was not easily fazed, but Sakura's behavior was so strange that he couldn't help feeling a bit tense. He almost forgot to pick up Hinata on his way home.

She was waiting outside of the diner when he pulled up, her face trained on her phone. A soft smile spread on her face as she hurried up to the car, climbing into the passenger's seat quickly. There were no leftovers in her hands today, so she was free to fold her hands in her lap.

"You look nice." She complimented lightly, not mentioning the fact that he was late.

"I had dinner with Naruto and Sakura." He told her. The information offering was both an expression of gratitude and an apology for his lateness. She beamed at him.

"I'm glad. They really care about you."

He watched her from the corner of his eye. She seemed really happy, and that perturbed him for some reason. Why should she care so much if he saw them or not?

"Sakura cares a little too much." He snorted. Naruto cared too much, as well, he guessed, but he could handle Naruto's care. At least Naruto didn't act like a completely different person with him around.

"She's idolized you since the academy." Hinata recalled, turning her attention out the window. Her fingers twisted together in her lap. "I know that she can come on a little strong, but she really does mean well."

They continued home in silence. He didn't see a point in arguing with the Hyuga, so he remained silent. They walked in together, and he started immediately toward the shower. Hinata headed to the kitchen, and he could hear the telltale signs of her cooking before he could smell it. When he exited, she had just sat down at the table, and was lifting some of her meal into her mouth. He collapsed on the couch, draping an arm over his eyes.

He didn't notice when she turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Sasuke." Her soft voice called.

He was already asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

He stopped by the student union between classes. Grabbing some food, he took a seat alone at a table. The little dish was passable at food, better than what he had eaten on his travels, but failing to meet the standards Hinata had set with her cooking.

Glancing around the room after he had finished, he noticed Neji sitting with the girl from the other day. She was talking animatedly and he was smiling softly.

He left before they could notice him.

* * *

"How was your first day of college?" Hinata didn't even wait until she was in the car before she prodded Sasuke with questions he didn't want to answer. Their schedules had clashed today. She had had to wait an hour before he could pick her up. His backpack was still on the passenger's seat when she got in. Instead of moving it to the back, she settled the annoying thing on her lap.

"It happened." He grabbed the backpack and flung it onto the backseat. She seemed unperturbed by his movements, even as he applied a little too much pressure on the gas, almost as if he thought he could escape her questions if he escaped the parking lot.

"What classes did you have today?"

"Physics and composition."

"Did you enjoy them?"

"No." he extinguished her questions one-by-one, but she persevered.

"Where did you eat?"

"The student union. It was disgusting." This time, he took preemptive action, stomping out her next question before she had the opportunity to ask. She was quiet as they pulled into the parking lot, and they walked to his apartment in silence. He assumed that she was finished bothering him, but as he settled onto his couch, she hovered over him.

"Did anything else exciting happen today?"

He prepared to say no, but looking up at her hopeful face, he felt an odd pull to say something to appease her. He searched his memory. Rambling professors and annoying students, a lack of meaningful content…

"I saw your cousin."

Her face lit up at that. The elation was enough for her to take a seat next to him on the couch as she pressed her hands together.

"That's great! How is he?" she cocked her head to the side, her hair falling over he shoulders as gravity pulled at it. It looked soft.

"I didn't talk to him." Sasuke swallowed hard, turning his gaze away from her.

"Oh, I see." She realized her position now, straightening herself and playing with the fingers in her lap. "Well, I hope you enjoy college, anyway. I really enjoyed it, but I never got to graduate. That's why I'm really proud of Neji. He's working really hard to achieve his dream. I meant to return after I had saved enough money myself, but…"

She drew her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she hugged her calves. She seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes growing misty. He shifted awkwardly on the couch next to her, drawing her attention.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she waved her hands in front of her reddened face. A small smirk twisted onto Sasuke's lips. She was cute when she was flustered. The thought penetrated his mind before he could fully process the meaning. But when it had, he pushed himself away from her, grabbing his backpack and heading to the kitchen table. This only flustered her more, but he had to escape whatever had come across him.

Hours passed by as he slowly flipped through his physics textbook, eyes scanning the equations and skimming the words. A pencil twirled in his fingers as he read, every now and then scribbling across an open notebook.

A meal of fish, rice and vegetables was placed before him right as his stomach rumbled. He lifted his eyes to Hinata taking a seat across from him, a pair of chopsticks in her fingers. He placed his work to the side, his pencil replaced with chopsticks as he pulled the plates toward him. This was the quality of food he'd become spoiled by.

"Did he seem happy to you?" Hinata finally broke their silence. His eyes flitted to hers in a moment of confusion before he remembered their earlier conversation.

"Yeah. He was with that girl."

"Oh, TenTen!" Hinata exclaimed. She pulled her hand to her mouth as she thought. "I wonder how she is. I haven't seen them in so long."

"Why do you care?" Sasuke spoke without thinking, irritated at her constant noise.

"Well, we were very close. He's my cousin, but we were raised together, more like siblings. You had a brother, too, right?" her eyes flittered innocently to his, as his eyebrows drew together. Thinking about Itachi made his stomach churn as contradictory emotions flooded into his mind.

"Yeah." He bit, harsher than he intended. He wasn't ready to talk about him. Hinata retracted. They finished their meal in silence. Hinata gathered the plates from the table, washing them in the sink as Sasuke returned to the couch.

* * *

He returned to the student union the next day, although this time it was just for the table. Hinata had left a lunch bag in the fridge, with a sticky note attached to it addressed to him. Now he pulled it out, and was greeted with a delicious meal. He ate it slowly, scanning the crowd as he ate, acutely aware that Sakura did go to this school and could pounce on him at any moment.

Instead of Sakura, his eyes caught Neji and TenTen as they sat down at their table, chatting amicably as they set down their food. Hesitantly, Sasuke packed his things and approached them.

Their company was the last thing he wanted, but somehow he felt that he had to make up for yesterday. Hinata would be happy if he could tell her something about Neji. And so he sat, not bothering to ask their permission before he did.

"Hey, Sasuke." TenTen chuckled nervously, her brown eyes squinting slightly.

"Hello."

Neji merely nodded at him for now as he unpacked his lunch again, opening his container and retrieving his chopsticks.

"That looks like what Hinata used to prepare." Neji spoke as Sasuke lifted a bite of rice to his lips. His dark eyes moved to the older boy's lighter ones. A soft smile had spread across his face. Sasuke took a bite, only grunting in reply.

"So, how is campus life treating you, Sasuke?" TenTen inquired, an eyebrow raised at the brooding boy next to her.

"Fine." He grunted. The two lunch companions shared a look.

"Classes look like they'll be slow." He provided, uncomfortable with their apparent discomfort. Naruto and Sakura would have made up for any lack of conversation by now. They would have been thrilled to have him here. They wouldn't have shared a look like that.

"They can be in the beginning." TenTen nodded, grateful for the contribution to the conversation. "I started off as undecided, so my first semester was pretty light. Of course, things got harder as we progressed. Neji never seemed to have problems, though."

" _I_ went to class." Neji reminded her, a soft smirk on his mouth. They gained their stride as they grew more comfortable with his presence, speaking naturally with each other, almost as if he wasn't even there. He preferred that.

From their conversation, Sasuke was able to gather enough information that he reported to Hinata later as he picked her up. As soon as she opened the door, he was able to barrage her with the information she so desperately wanted.

"Neji is getting a master's in engineering. TenTen is getting a doctorate in chemistry. Neji still lives with his uncle, but TenTen lives on her own and works at a hardware store. TenTen is a teaching assistant and Neji works with some professor who he doesn't seem to like."

Hinata giggled as he dumped the information. He stopped abruptly, his gaze moving to her as she spread a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry." She apologized through giggles.

"What is it?" his hands gripped the steering wheel as he clenched his jaw in annoyance.

"No, I'm just so happy that you talked to Neji and TenTen." She gasped, waving her hands in the air again. But her eyes told a different story.

"You already knew all of that, didn't you?"

"Well, I only lost touch with them a few months ago…" Hinata twisted the seatbelt in her hands.

"You tricked me, Hyuga." He bit out, the words bitter in his mouth but a small smirk forming on his mouth. Her face turned beet red again. She scrambled for words as they pulled into his parking spot. A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he watched her.

She calmed at the noise, her hands retreating into her lap and her head tilting to the side. Her eyebrows were knit together in confusion and worry, but a smile was beginning to form on her lips. Her cheeks were still flushed. He glanced down to the hands in her lap. They were still, for once, but placed closely to the hem of her waitress skirt. Had it always been that short?

He had to leave the car.

It was way too damn hot in there.


	7. Chapter 7

He awoke several times in the middle of the night to scrambling noises. Doors being thrown open, the seat of the toilet clanging open, retching emptying into the bowl. And now, just as it was time for them to leave, he had already waited several minutes for her to finish emptying her guts into the toilet.

"Maybe you should call in sick." He suggested through the door. A soft gasp came from the girl inside, and the door opened slightly to reveal a wide-eyed girl.

" _No_." the word came out as a snap, and his eyebrows raised a bit at her tone. She seemed to realize her mistake as her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Give me a few minutes, please."

He retreated to his position at the door. A few minutes later, she arrived, and they left.

* * *

"Sasuke!" a voice called across the room. He tensed in his seat. TenTen next to him and Neji across from him raised their heads to look for the source of the voice. It was unmistakable _who_ it was, but she could be _anywhere_.

Soon, she was right next to him, her hands clasped under her chin as she bent down to be level with his face, a twinkle in her blue eyes. Behind her, Sakura shifted nervously. Ino didn't seem to notice her friend's fidgeting, however, and continued on her tirade.

"Did you end up finding Hinata?" she asked, eyes scanning his intently. The beast was hungry for gossip.

"No." he provided simply, but Sakura coughed from behind her friend.

"But, didn't you get her things for Naruto?" Sakura peered past Ino, searching Sasuke's face. Her gaze was disarmingly vulnerable.

"You told us that you didn't find Hinata." Neji quirked an eyebrow at the freshman, crossing his arms over his chest. Sasuke met his gaze firmly.

"I didn't." he shifted his attention to Sakura. "You're mistaken."

She would have argued with any other person. She would have asserted herself and proved her value. But, when faced with Sasuke's hard glare, she relented. Ino, however, pressed Sasuke for more.

"So, tell me all about where you've been!" she pulled the remaining chair out for herself, sitting comfortably with her elbows resting on the table and her chin resting on her hands. Sakura hovered, left without a chair at the edge of the table.

"I didn't realize you still went here." Sasuke changed the subject.

"Of course! Pharmaceuticals is a serious business." Ino clapped her hands together, pleased to be talking about herself, as always. She wagged a finger at him as she continued, explaining the ins and outs of the business. He packed up as she continued deeper into her life, glancing at his watch.

"I have to go to class." He told her, fleeing the scene. She barely acknowledged him leaving, instead turning to Neji and TenTen to continue her rant. Sakura's eyes followed his back as he exited the hall. He tried to ignore her.

* * *

She said nothing as she climbed into the car. He barely registered that anything was wrong until she sniffled halfway through their drive. Chancing a glance in her direction, he noticed her puffy eyes and slumped posture. She rubbed offhandedly at one of her eyes, before letting the hand drop back into her lap.

"What happened?" he asked, oddly disturbed by her crying face. His stomach was unsettled, his chest bubbled with something hot. He was angry.

"It's nothing." She muttered, hugging her arms close to her body. The answer was unsatisfactory to him. He gripped the steering wheel harder.

"Who made you cry?" he bit out angrily. Her gaze darted quickly to his face. A frown tugged at her lips.

"No one made me cry." She said. "I just feel bad."

She locked herself in her room when they got home. He sat on the couch, but found that he couldn't concentrate on anything. After about an hour of restless studying, his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he found that he had a text from an old friend.

"I'm surprised you agreed to see me." Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask as he opened his door. Sasuke grunted as he shouldered past the man, into his small apartment. Kakashi didn't seem like a dog man, but there were at least nine dogs lounging in the tiny living space. The whole room smelled like pee. He opted against sitting on the plump couch, instead leaning against a wall to regard the white-haired man.

"I don't feel like being in my apartment right now." Sasuke answered, his eyes following a small dog as it sniffed the behind of another. Maybe he was better off with the girl.

"Is everything okay?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, mimicking Sasuke's stance on an adjacent wall. Sasuke only shrugged in reply, his harsh glance trained at a pee stain in the carpet. The great Kakashi had pee stains in his apartment. "Do you want to tell me where you've been?"

He had nothing else to do, so he recounted his journey for Kakashi. After he had helped extinguish the terror group that called themselves the Akatsuki, after he had helped overthrow the existential threat of the woman named Kaguya, he had disappeared. There had been too much grief in his life that he needed to sort out. His brother's secret life and death, the cut-throat politics of the city he had once called home, the continued existence of the escaped convict he had thought that _he_ killed.

His journey had a purpose. He travelled to each of the other cities of the country: Suna, Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa, as well as a host of smaller cities and towns. His travels had exposed him to knowledge he had never hoped to acquire. There was speculation among some in Kumo that Kaguya had not come from a foreign country as was the well-known fact, but was actually an alien.

That was ridiculous, of course. But as he explored more about Kaguya, he found that she was an expert on other dimensions. He found himself drawn to that idea, and explored all he could given his limited education and knowledge. But as resources ran out, he was faced with a horrible reality. In order to pursue this knowledge, he would have to come home.

If he had known what was waiting for him, perhaps he would have stayed in Kumo and risked the deranged mayor finding him there.

"Well, I'm glad you're not committing anymore crimes." Kakashi smiled. Sasuke scoffed and looked away, irritated with the response.

"I might have to if people keep annoying me."

"Who's annoying you?"

"Sakura. Naruto. Ino. Neji. TenTen."

He almost said Hinata but caught himself just in time.

"It's good that you have so many friends." Kakashi pushed off the wall, lifting the cushions on his couch to reveal a collection of books.

"If you're that tense, you might want to read one of these."

"Absolutely not."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched at the thought. The mere suggestion that he would do something so pathetic was irritating. Kakashi laughed at his misery before replacing the cushion.

"Unfortunately, I have to hide these. I can't let my students see them." Kakashi mourned, dropping back onto the couch.

"I thought you were the mayor?" Sasuke had to choose between that question and bringing up that Kakashi hadn't minded reading those books in plain sight when Sasuke had him as a teacher. In fact, he could remember a few times when Kakashi had forgotten to teach, being too wrapped up in his fantasies.

"I was, for a term. Shizune actually took office. Neither Tsunade nor I wanted to rerun, and the alternative was Naruto or Kiba, so it was only natural. The people love Naruto, but he's not ready quite yet." Kakashi began to flip through a small book with a bright orange cover. "I split my time between answering Naruto's questions and tutoring high school brats. I'm living the dream."

Sasuke stayed until dinnertime. He was hungry, so he left without thinking, assuming automatically that Hinata would cook them dinner. Unfortunately, he realized too late that she was probably still locked in her room.

He stopped in a drive-through, trying to remember what she liked but ordering her a plain hamburger in the end.


	8. Chapter 8

Hinata had perked up in the following weeks. She seemed happier, although she had upgraded the size of her waitress uniform. She was absent from the apartment now, so he was left alone in his apartment. He could watch tv without worrying about the volume bothering her. He could pee with the bathroom door open. He could even take a nap in his bed if he wanted to.

Unfortunately, it seemed that none of that would be possible, as a loud pounding echoed through the apartment. Naruto was here.

He considered not opening the door. But if he humored Naruto for a few minutes, he could kick him out and end this suffering. The other option was to let Naruto wear himself out, something that anyone would recognize as impossible.

He opened the door, his mouth pressed into a firm line.

"Hey, bastard, I came to invite you to guy's night." Naruto beamed, his hands folded behind his head.

"I'm not going." Sasuke grabbed for the door, but Naruto stepped inside to stop him, throwing an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Hey, I'm just trying to—"

Naruto stopped abruptly, his eyes scanning Sasuke's wall. Sasuke took the opportunity to shrug the offending arm from his body, stepping away to create a respectable distance from the hyperactive blond. But Naruto, for once, was speechless, his cerulean eyes glued to the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke snapped, before he remembered.

The pictures.

Oh god, the pictures.

"So, you like bushy-brows?" a slow smile crept onto Naruto's face. How could Sasuke have forgotten the dozens of modelling pictures of Rock Lee he and Hinata had taped to the wall? It's not like they lorded over him in his sleep. It's not like he had vivid nightmares of the green-clad model he slept under.

Naruto cackled as he snapped pictures of the wall, smugness etched into his features. Sasuke growled, yanking Naruto's arm down and pushing the offender out of his apartment. Naruto protested, latching onto Sasuke and trying to pull him with him out the door.

They toppled over, Sasuke landing on top of his best friend. His knee had wedged itself between Naruto's legs, and his hands pressed on either side of the boy's head as he pushed himself back up. Naruto smirked from beneath the brooding man.

"You gonna kiss me or what, Sasuke?"

Sasuke sprang immediately to his feet, taking a few steps backwards but still glaring at his friend, who had pushed himself into a sitting position at the soonest opportunity.

"Get up so I can punch you." Sasuke ordered. The blond laughed as he complied, but his expression turned serious as he met Sasuke's eyes.

"You wanna get a round in, just like the good 'ol days?"

* * *

Naruto won, if only because Sasuke was rusty. He sat back on the couch as a message flashed across the television, announcing his defeat. He held the controller loosely in his hand. Naruto celebrated beside him.

The apartment was messy, as expected from Naruto. Clothes were strewn not only on the floor, but on the couch, the table, the kitchen counter. Food stains covered the floors and the wall. The box he had collected from Hinata still sat by his door, the contents untouched.

"What happened with you and Hinata?" Sasuke asked as he eyed the box of junk.

"Oh, boy. Is that a story." Naruto chuckled, scratching at one of his whisker tattoos. Sasuke remained silent as Naruto collected his thoughts.

"Well, as you know, we all went to the academy together."

He did not remember. He couldn't remember most of the people he went to the academy together. He remembered a horde of screaming girls, he remembered Naruto, he remembered the teachers that would never give him enough power to avenge his family. But in the end, they all melded into one entity that served only to hold him back from his goal. High school was different. There was an established group. He remembered their faces but not their names or their stories. He remembered general characteristics but not the people themselves. He left after his first year, anyway, not to return until a brief week after the war.

"She apparently liked me all through high school, but I was too dumb to notice." Naruto continued, breaking the seal on a can he had retrieved from a small table that perched next to the couch. "I guess she confessed to me once when she was trying to protect me from one of the Akatsuki members, but I didn't realize. Then, after the war, Hinata's sister was kidnapped by some weirdo. A lot of things happened, but Hinata ended up agreeing to run away with him and get married so she could try to protect her sister. Sakura told me a lot about how Hinata felt and all, and I guess all the fear of losing her and admiration for her strength added up, so when we finally got her back, I couldn't help but ask her out."

Naruto took a long swig from his can. Sasuke was disturbed slightly that Naruto was drinking warm beer, but he overlooked it, waiting for the blond to continue.

"We dated for about three years. It was a lot of fun, but something just felt off. Like our relationship was built off of something it shouldn't have been. I genuinely care for her, and I really did love her, but our relationship didn't feel right. I think she realized, too, because she's the one that brought it up in the end. We broke up, and I thought it would be the kind of deal where we could remain friends, but I guess I was wrong."

Naruto stared forlornly at his can, his grip looses on the thin metal.

"She just wants space." Sasuke cleared his throat awkwardly. Naruto sad was almost as annoying as Naruto happy.

"You think so?" Naruto quirked his head slightly before his lips stretched into a cocky grin. "I gotta tell you, though, even the break-up sex was amazing."

And now he wanted to punch him all over again.

* * *

Hinata found herself ducking behind a large plant in the entryway of Konoha hospital. She had been prepared to look for the telltale shock of pink hair that would give away Sakura Haruno, but she had forgotten that Ino frequented here, as well. She had also forgotten how adept Ino was at talking. She had been waiting for at least fifteen minutes for the blond to leave, but there were no signs of her relenting.

But Sasuke had not yet replied to her about picking her up, so it's not like she was in a hurry. She leaned against the wall, bracing her legs against the pot of the fern to provide extra support. She felt bad for relying on Sasuke so much, so she had asked a coworker to take her to the hospital after work instead of asking Sasuke. She figured it would be a safe move, since the the coworker wouldn't know where she lived. But it seemed that by ignoring Sasuke in favor of the flamboyant young waiter, she had lost him.

She opened her phone, scrolling through her messages to read through her latest one-sided conversation with Sasuke. Usually he replied right away to tell her he was coming, but this time, she had been left on read.

Or so she assumed. As far as she could tell, Sasuke didn't have read receipts turned on.

Placing the offending object back in her pocket, she pulled herself up to get a look over the top of the pot. Ino was still talking, apparently squealing about something, if the fists held under her chin were any indication. Even watching Ino talk was entertaining, and Hinata found herself captivated by the blond's performance, even such little things as her long ponytail swaying with her slight movements. Maybe if she had a daughter she could convince her to wear ponytails. She never could get Hanabi to wear ponytails until the girl was in high school, and by then, Hinata had moved out.

A buzz in her back pocket pulled her attention back to the matter at hand. A little giddily, she pulled the device out of her pocket, unlocking it to read the message.

An unknown number.

"I'm back."

She sat in stunned silence as she stared at the text. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her legs turned to quivering jelly and yet she couldn't move. Then in one quick movement she blocked the number and resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room. Pulling her knees back to her chest, she took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that it was just a wrong number. It couldn't possibly be who she thought it was.

The small space between the plant and the room was all too claustrophobic now. She struggled to breath in the space. It smelled too much like dirt. Deep breaths, she told herself, as she sucked air carefully in through her nose and expelled through her mouth.

Another buzz, and she jumped. She didn't want to look at her phone, but her movements were mechanical as she pulled it back out, vision too blurry and hand shaking too much to read the message at first.

"Here."

The word sent a chill down her spine. She gulped, her mouth dry. Tears prickled in her eyes until she read the name.

* * *

Sasuke tapped impatiently at his steering wheel. A full five minutes passed before his phone pinged, Hinata's message lighting up the screen.

"Can't leave yet, Ino's here"

He sighed heavily, reclining back in his seat to wait for her. A headache pounded against his skull. He was irritated. He wanted to go home.

The sound of his door opening startled him, almost visibly. His eyes slid to her as she lifted herself into his seat, pulling the door closed behind her. She held an envelope in her hands, which trembled almost imperceptibly, and she looked pale, her eyes wider than usual.

Although she looked terrible, she still forced a smile in his direction.

"Is everything okay?" she stole the question from his throat. He shrugged.

"Naruto dragged me to 'guy's night'." He grimaced. Once he was at Naruto's house, it had become impossible to leave, even when a gaggle of unwanted men appeared at the door.

"I remember." Hinata giggled sweetly, some of the uneasiness that had followed her into the car disappearing. "Were Kiba and Shino there?"

"Yeah, the mutt was there. Shino was busy, though." Sasuke gritted. He would have preferred the bug boy to the ranging lunatic who had threatened to tear the apartment apart when he saw Sasuke. And that was _before_ he got alcohol in his system.

"Shikamaru and Choji?" Hinata pressed.

"Yeah." He didn't particularly mind those two, they weren't as obnoxious as Naruto or Kiba. "Neji was there, too."

"Of course, Neji loves Naruto." Hinata beamed. Sasuke snorted.

"And to think, I almost respected Neji."

"Neji is a respectable person!" Hinata argued, her voice raising an octave as she turned to regard Sasuke out of wide eyes. Sasuke smirked in her direction. She was getting flustered again. Her cheeks were tinged red, she seemed ready to argue on her cousin's behalf. Some part of him wanted to press her. See how far she would go.

But as they pulled into his parking spot, she turned her attention to the envelope in her lap, her flustered blush now becoming excited as she withdrew a picture from the yellow container. She thrust it towards him, somehow expecting him to see it in the dark.

"Look at the baby!"

Even when he turned on his phone's flashlight, he couldn't really see anything.


	9. Chapter 9

Sakura and Ino had started eating with them. To Sasuke's surprise, Ino didn't annoy him as much as she used to. She no longer fought with Sakura over him, and although she breached his personal space multiple times in any given day, at least she wasn't trying to make him fall in love with her. She reminded him of Naruto in the sense that he felt no need to contribute to the conversation when she was around. The heavy-lifting was handled with ease by the beautiful pharm student. Neji spoke significantly less than before, and even TenTen seemed irked by their presence, despite the comments she made about finally having female friends to eat with.

Sakura was tolerable when she lost herself in Ino's ramblings, or found herself arguing with Ino about trivial things. Or more tolerable, he should say. At least when she was shouting, she wasn't staring at him with weirdly fragile and possessive eyes.

Sasuke often used the skills he picked up by being friends with Naruto in this situation. He was _very_ adept at tuning out the ramblings of hyperactive blonds.

But, a name caught his attention, and this time he had to interject.

"What?"

"Hinata." Ino repeated, barely skipping a beat. "We should find her."

"Why?" he grunted, squeezing his chopsticks a bit too hard.

"Um because she's our friend and she's been missing for three months." Ino stuck her tongue out at him before turning to Sakura. "Honestly, this guy doesn't understand relationships at all. I don't know what we ever saw in him."

He would have argued, but any argument would have fallen on deaf ears. Instead, he remained silent and listened to Ino's plan to gather a search party that evening.

* * *

"They're looking for you." He warned Hinata as she got into the car. Her face paled, and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke. The raw fear caused goosebumps to raise on his skin, a chill to touch his spine. He looked away from her as he clarified.

"Ino's assembling a search party tonight."

She breathed a soft sigh as she leaned back in her seat, tension draining from her body.

"Who did you think I meant?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Her eyes flickered to him briefly before returning to the fingers laced in her lap. She chewed on her lip as she thought.

"I don't want them coming to my house." He spoke after a few beats.

"I guess I can text Neji."

She pulled out her phone and began to type. Then she deleted her message. And typed a new message. Then deleted it. She repeated this process several times on the ride home, and a few more while seated at the kitchen table. Often, the message she typed was the same as the one she had just deleted.

A frown marred her features as she stared forlornly at the screen, her cursor blinking in the message composition block. Her posture was slumped over the table. She seemed on the verge of tears.

The sight irked him. Walking over, he plucked the phone out of her hands and typed a message, short and to the point: "This is Hinata. I'm fine."

"That doesn't sound like me at all!" she protested, deleting the message immediately. Her thumbs moved furiously, composing a brand new message. As soon as she finished, Sasuke plucked the phone from her fingers and hit send.

She squealed, her face turning red as she tried to hide it behind her hands. He watched her, a bemused smirk twitching onto his lips.

"What's the big deal?" he asked, twirling the small thing between his fingers. "It's not like your cousin is going to hate you if you word something wrong."

"He might!" Hinata grabbed for the phone. Sasuke, wanting to push her a little further, lifted the phone from beyond her reach. She had to stand on her tiptoes to even get close, her fingers brushing his forearm as she reached for it. The touch was warm, it sent tingles down his arm.

"I don't think it's possible for him to hate you."

Indeed, Neji seemed to worship the former heiress. He only ever spoke of her positively, and became noticeably angry if he thought someone slighted her, which no one ever really did, anyway.

"He used to." Hinata commented offhandedly, more focused on the phone than her words. Sasuke, however, dropped his arm at hearing her words, his expression going serious. She snatched the phone back from him, opening it to read the message that had just been sent.

"Hinata." His harsh tone drew her attention back to his eyes. He stared unwaveringly into her white orbs, his eyes slightly narrowed and eyebrows pushed together. "What do you mean, he hated you?"

"Oh, he used to blame me for his father's death. I was almost kidnapped when I was three. My father saved me, but he ended up killing the man that tried to take me. My uncle ended up taking the blame for the murder, and was sentenced to death. Neji was angry for a long time until he met Naruto."

Hinata fiddled with her phone while she spoke, unable to meet the intensity of Sasuke's gaze. He scoffed when she had finished, causing her to flinch slightly.

"What's with you and getting kidnapped?"

She allowed her eyes to travel back up to his. He had relaxed considerably, and Hinata smiled up at him, allowing a little giggle to escape her lips. Sasuke watched her as she covered her mouth, only now realizing that his hands were on her shoulders. She curled her fingers, drawing them away from her lips.

Only a few inches separated them. If he bent down, his face would be centimeters away from hers. If he moved it closer, he could press his lips against hers. Would she protest?

A little buzz drew him out of his trance. He backed away, retreating to the wall as her face lit up from the text from her cousin. She typed back a response, this time sending it right away. A second buzz rattled the air a few seconds later. She smiled up at Sasuke, a silent thank you for pushing her to send the message, before she retreated into her room.

He wondered if she felt what almost happened between them.


	10. Chapter 10

Hinata had started yoga. Since she was a recluse, she had bought a DVD and a mat, and set up in his living room. The only problem was, he had nowhere else to go. Or rather, he refused to go elsewhere. Instead, he would sit grouchily on his couch, his arms folded and eyebrows knitted together as he watched her try to stand on one food, or stretch her body in ways that couldn't – and shouldn't – be possible.

On her third day, she revealed that she had bought _two_ mats. She had offered one to Sasuke, hoping that he would join her in her contortion ritual. He had politely declined. But each day, she offered him the possibility, and he would graciously refuse.

"I don't think Lee would approve of you skipping yoga." She pouted one day, leaning the rolled-up mat against the wall. His eyes flitted to the pictures on his wall. They watched him, almost disapprovingly, as she had said. He sighed as he gave in, grabbing the yoga mat from the wall.

It turns out, Hinata was better at yoga than he was. She giggled at his attempts. So he wasn't very flexible anymore. He was a physicist, damn it, he didn't need to be physically fit. Although he did try to keep himself in shape, he had never felt the need to do so through _yoga_ , of all things.

In the end, he merely collapsed onto his mat and turned his head to watch Hinata. It was a different angle than on the couch, and not an unpleasant one. She was rather flexible, almost able to keep up with the crazy stretches on screen. Her shirt hiked up slightly as she followed along, revealing a pale piece of skin.

He gulped as he looked away. He could feel his face heating up.

That was enough for one day.

* * *

After her shower, he proceeded to the bathroom. He didn't know how she managed to waste so much time in there, or created so much steam. But when he returned, he found her still in there, although the door was slightly ajar, as if she had left and then came back.

Her shirt was lifted slightly, so that her protruding belly was visible. She had finally started to show. Although the baggy clothing that she usually wore around the house was able to cover it, the waitress uniform she was now trying to squeeze into could not.

He found himself leaning against the doorframe, his eyes trained on her as she felt the bump, her eyes watching it in the mirror. After a second, her eyes met his. He couldn't tell if the water droplets on her face were tears or from the shower.

"Am I doing the right thing?" she asked, her already quiet voice a whisper. He stepped into the bathroom to better hear her. "Maybe I shouldn't have dated Naruto at all. How can I let my child grow up without a father? Should I tell Naruto? Should I tell my friends?"

Her fingers drew into a fist on her belly. Now tears really pricked in her eyes.

"I feel like such a failure. I spent my whole life admiring Naruto, chasing after him. And when I finally got him, I let him go. But now, I'm not sure how long I can keep that up. I don't love him, but how can I feel that way when I'm carrying his child?" her wide eyes raised to him, scanning his eyes for answers.

"I can't even imagine what my father would say if he knew." She gasped, threading her fingers through her bangs. "What would Neji say? What would Neji do? Oh, Kiba would be so mad. I mean, he wouldn't be mad at me, but he might be mad at Naruto, and I want to tell them but I'm in so deep…"

When had he gotten so close? He could feel her body heat. Her anxiety rolled off of her in waves, crashing into him. He could smell her shampoo in her wet hair.

"And now I'm showing, so if I see any of them… If anyone happens to walk into the diner, if I run into Sakura or Ino at the hospital, they'll definitely know." Her voice began to crack. Her hands switched between playing with her hair and playing with each other. Her eyes now flickered between Sasuke and various items in the bathroom.

He placed a hand on her head. Her gaze flickered to him, inquisitive and hopeful. Her hands clutched each other near her chest, nestled between her bosom.

"You're fine." He spoke simply. The words didn't seem to calm her, as a well of tears emerged from her eyes. She buried her face against his chest, clutching at the thin material as she sobbed. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he placed them on her shoulders.

She was late to work.

* * *

Ino was more hyperactive than usual as she entered the dining hall. Sasuke was alone at the table presently, so she fixated her sapphire eyes on him as she bounded through the room, carrying with her a large square object.

"You know Sai, right Sasuke?" she was beaming. Her face was flushed, and she bounced on her feet, her ponytail swishing along with her erratic movements. He grunted as a reply, and she ignored his lack of enthusiasm, suffocating him with her own. "He painted a picture of me!"

She turned the large canvas to reveal the picture he had painted. It was, indeed, of her. And she was naked. He would have puked if he hadn't turned away in time, looking anywhere but at her as she blabbed about how _beautiful_ the painting was.

"You have to put that away, Ino." TenTen pushed the thing onto the table, obscuring the portrait. She had drawn the attention of many eyes, some of them laughing, some of them genuinely _curious_.

"But I'm a model, Ten!" Ino gushed, plainly very pleased with herself.

"I hear Sasuke's more into Lee, anyway." TenTen smirked, turning her chocolate eyes to the young man. He grunted again, the situation making him very uncomfortable.

"If you like Lee," Neji's voice appeared suddenly behind him, "I can give you two tickets to see his Halloween show. TenTen and I were going to go, but we have a conference that weekend."

He absolutely did _not_ want to see Lee model live. He could barely stand the pictures on his wall. Although he wanted to say know, the image of Hinata popped into his mind. This could make her feel better, and what would she say if he gave up this opportunity?

"Fine."

"Sasuke likes Lee?" Ino asked, turning her attention to TenTen.

"Naruto says that his wall is covered with pictures of Lee." Neji provided, breaking his chopsticks.

"Interesting." Ino regarded him, her eyes glittering.

He did not like that look.


	11. Chapter 11

She drew herself out of bed late in the morning. She had taken off work for the weekend, but she still had to wait for Sasuke to come home before they could leave for Suna to see Lee. At one point she would have been angry at herself for waking up so late, but now she was grateful for the extra time. Since her pregnancy, she had been getting less and less sleep. Any movement awoke her.

Yawning, she pulled some leftovers from the fridge and took a seat at the table. Yesterday's mail sat in the center, untouched since she was so tired. Noticing that a new issue of her magazine had arrived, she pulled it from the stack, excitedly flipping through the pages with a smile. She and Sasuke would have to go through it together before they left.

Placing it back to the center, she realized that she had dislodged a dull white envelope from the pile. She reached to push it back into the stack, but realized that her name had been scrawled on the center in messy handwriting. There was no return address.

Feeling a growing emptiness in the pit of her stomach, Hinata slid her finger under the flap, breaking the seal. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, although it felt thicker than the average parchment. When unfolded, it appeared to be a stack of about three sheets of paper, the pages themselves pristine, but marred with an odd stain. She gulped as she ran her eyes over the sloppy writing.

"Dearest Hinata, I know you've blocked my number…"

Her mind blank, she ripped the papers in half. Then she ripped them again, and again, until they were nothing but tiny slivers. She ran to the toilet, dropping the load into the water and flushing.

It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but her mind was racing, her heart was racing, she was racing to her room to get her things…

The sound of a door opening caused her to jump, gasping as her heart flew into her mouth. Glancing around for something heavy or sharp or _anything_ , she settled with a lamp. There was no escape, so she waited, her hands clutched around the thick base. Footsteps sounded lightly on the ground, stopping before her.

She stared up at Sasuke, her hands trembling slightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, an eyebrow quirked. His hands were stuffed into his pockets. He wasn't threatened, only curious.

"Um…" her mind was stuck in defense mode. She didn't have the brain capacity to speak, only to run or to fight. Finally, with a shuddering breath, she answered.

"I'm just redecorating."

"Redecorating." His voice was as flat as the line of his lips.

"Ah, I wanted to put this lamp right here." She placed the lamp back where she had picked it up from. "It looks much better there."

Her gaze flitted to him and her lips stretched into a smile. He stared at her blankly for a few moments, his posture frozen but relaxed. After a few moments, a smirk quirked on his lips.

"Let's go."

* * *

They arrived in Suna late at night. The ride would have been shorter if she had not insisted on stopping at several tea houses or roadside attractions along the way. But she seemed to enjoy the scalding tea and the tiny flowers, so he didn't protest.

Their hotel was small compared to some of the monstrosities that dotted the city. Perhaps it was because it was on the very edge of the city, but it stood at only three stories high. It was classic as far as hotels went, though. They were greeted warmly – a little _too_ warmly – by a middle-aged man, who provided them with two keys and exhaustive instructions.

They wound through the hallways, finally pushing open the door to the room. It was woefully small. There was barely room to squeeze a dresser into the space. There was a tiny space to walk into the thing, off of which stood a tiny bathroom. The bed was not small, taking up most of the space in the room.

There was only one bed, however, and no couch.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Sasuke provided immediately as he lifted their suitcases onto the dresser, placing hers on top. Hinata shifted nervously behind him.

"Actually, I don't mind if you want to sleep in the bed with me."

He glanced behind him, his face deadpan. She waved her hands in front of her, her face completely red.

"I only mean, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I've known you my whole life, and we've been living together for almost three months, so I trust you." Hinata explained, her eyes darting about the room before returning to Sasuke.

"Alright."

He waited on the bed while she got ready in the bathroom, building a wall out of pillows between them. While he was excited to sleep in a bed again, he didn't want her getting any ideas. Or maybe he didn't want himself to get any ideas. He couldn't tell anymore.

She emerged from the bathroom as he was flipping through channels on the tv, each one was marred with static. As was expected of Suna. She giggled slightly, climbing into bed next to him.

"Is a wall really necessary?" there was a playful lilt to her voice.

He turned to tell her that yes, it was completely necessary, but he was stopped by more important matters.

"What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

Her eyes were not the white he was used to, but a black more in line with his own. She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her weird eyes crinkling as she laughed.

"I took my contacts out."

"Your what."

"All Hyuga wear contacts, Sasuke." She giggled again, placing her hand over her mouth. "Did you think that our eyes are really white?"

"What the hell was I supposed to think, Hyuga?" he snapped. He couldn't take his eyes off of hers. What the hell. Why were normal eyes on her so much freakier than the _white_ eyes he knew?

She laughed again, but didn't reply, sinking low into the covers with a yawn. A few minutes later and she was asleep. A few minutes more and so was he.

He woke in the morning to find his knee pressed against something soft. His eyes shot open, and he shot up. His knee had barreled through the wall he had so painstakingly built last night, and found the backside of her thigh. She shifted at his erratic movements, flipping onto her back in her sleep. Her eyelids fluttered, but did not actually open.

He stilled next to her, eyes tracing from the delicate features of her face down the elegant curve of her neck. If he lifted the covers, he could see more of her. She was vulnerable next to him. She had allowed herself to be vulnerable next to him, suggested it even.

He tore himself away, opting instead to douse himself in a cold shower.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I hope to keep a more consistent schedule over the summer. Thanks to anyone still here!**

* * *

They grabbed a taxi into the depths of the city. Sasuke glanced around. The thick stone cliffs that surrounded the city made it eerie. Hinata, however, seemed perfectly content as she hurried over to a sand-colored shop, glancing quickly over her shoulder to make sure that he followed.

They entered the shop, which was woefully dimly-lit. To make matters worse, the walls were lined with humanoid puppets. Hinata was observing one that resembled a young man, her finger tracing the square jaw. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he observed her, all too antsy to leave this hellhole.

"Sasuke, this one looks like you!" Hinata called as she lifted the fourth arm of one of the puppets that had been _modified_.

"How does that look anything like me?" Sasuke drew closer to observe the wooden affront to humanity. In addition to an extra pair of arms (though the added pair resembled more oversized hands than arms), the thing had a shock of spikey gray hair and a strange black mark across its nose.

Finally, he succeeded in pulling Hinata away from the cursed puppet and out of the store, where they walked in the baking desert heat for only a few minutes. Hinata then managed to pull him into a new store, complaining about the scorching heat.

This store was lined with small clay creations. Tiny birds, spiders, and strange little balls with eyes had been formed out of the white substance. Some larger sculptures dotted the shelves, but for the most part, they were small enough to fit in the palm of Sasuke's hand. Hinata picked up a small little bird, gushing over how cute it was.

"Be careful with that." An old lady snapped from behind them, causing Hinata to jump.

"I'm so sorry!" Hinata apologized profusely, although Sasuke was sure she had done nothing wrong.

"These are explosive, you know." The woman plucked the thing out of Hinata's fingers, placing it delicately back on the shelves. "They should only be handled by experts."

Sasuke could think of a few problems with her story, but he focused instead on drawing Hinata away from the insane woman. He drew her across the street to a small little restaurant, where Hinata took a seat at a small table. From a counter he ordered a water, which he brought to Hinata. She drank half of it in one quick swig.

"Do you think that they were actually explosive?" she leaned forward, her eyes flitting out the small window to peer at the shop across the street.

"No, she probably just likes tormenting tourists." Sasuke leaned back in his chair, watching Hinata as she glanced around the store they had found themselves in, her gaze eventually landing on the menu.

"I'm going to order some food." She announced, rising from her seat and approaching the counter, where she spoke too long with the young man that worked there. He tapped impatiently as he waited, able to hear her voice but not the words. Eventually, he pulled out his phone, skimming over the texts that Naruto and Sakura had sent him.

He was drawn out of his trance by the smell of spices and meat. Hinata set down a tray on which was assembled a host of food: some of it normal, some of it not. His companion broke open a pair of chopsticks, immediately picking up a strange oblong item.

"What is that?"

"This is salted tongue. The man said that it's Gaara's favorite." Hinata explained before she took a small nibble out of the meat. Sasuke watched as he face contorted into a few different expressions, her eyes finally raising to meet his. "You should try it."

"What is the rest of this?"

"Um, I ordered a bit of everything." Hinata explained as she placed the tongue back in its container. Before she could itemize her order, he interrupted.

"Why would you order everything?"

"I asked the worker what he suggested." She fidgeted slightly in her seat, unable to meet Sasuke's hard gaze as a small blush dusted her cheeks.

"You actually bought everything?"

"It just means that you'll have to help me eat everything." She chirped, a smile forming on her lips as she reached for something else. He wanted to make her eat everything, but his stomach growled before he could deny her.

They finished off the meal. Hinata ate the sweeter things, and Sasuke ate the actual food. He wasn't particularly fond of Suna's spices, but he could stomach them. After he was finished, he scrolled through his phone. She was a noticeably slower eater than him. It made sense, he supposed, since she had been raised in a strict, formal household and he had grown up competing against Naruto in rice-eating competitions.

He glanced up after a few minutes of silence. She, too, had become engrossed with her phone, her expression serious as her thumb swiped the screen. Her eyes moved almost imperceptibly, tracing the words on her screen. When she caught his gaze, she smiled as a blush dusted her cheeks.

"Can we go to the greenhouse?"

The greenhouse turned out to be on the other side of town. They walked for far too long before Sasuke gave up and called a taxi, at which point their destination turned out to only be a minute drive away.

Needless to say, he was pissed by the time they made it into the lukewarm attraction. He was especially peeved when it turned out that they couldn't actually go in, but were expected to be appeased simply by peering through the windows. Which, it turned out, Hinata was.

And how could he stay mad when she smiled up at him like that?

She managed to drag him to a few more tourist traps, an aviary, a statue, another crappy restaurant. Until finally, the sun touched the horizon and they made their way to the highlight of their destination. The large building had large banners of Lee in different poses on every wall. Sasuke was frankly disgusted that the city would allow this, but he had very little time for such thoughts as Hinata dragged him into the venue.

They were directed into a large room, where they were able to secure two seats a fair distance away from the runway. Photographers had already swarmed the stage, pressed close together in the small area. A few high-class patrons had taken seats around them, and behind them stood a gaggle of girls, many of whom were wearing green jumpsuits.

"Are you excited?" Hinata peered up at him with her large eyes, leaning slightly closer to him so that he could hear. He glanced down at her, the hope and expectations swimming in her eyes.

"Ah." He affirmed simply, eyes tracing over the room. This type of thing was foreign to him. It made him slightly uncomfortable. There was a shock of red hair surrounded by others off to the far right. It seemed Gaara had come, as well.

The lights dimmed above them as those on the stage brightened. Hinata reached for Sasuke's hand, squeezing it slightly in anticipation as an announcer greeted the guests.

She forgot to let go.

The first few models to parade their ridiculous outfits were not Lee, and Sasuke tuned out the announcer, instead focusing on the small hand that still held his own. Glancing over at her, he found that she was far too caught up in the excitement to realize her actions. A smile had stretched across her face. She giggled slightly sometimes, he guessed she found the announcer funny.

A loud squeal emanated from behind him. He flinched, fighting the urge to cover his ears. He hadn't heard anything that horrendous since his own fan club. A soft squeeze on his hand distracted him from them, however, as Hinata leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"It's him!"

She withdrew her hand this time. He missed its warmth, but the pleased look on her face as she clapped her hands together was enough to soothe his pain.

Rock Lee emerged as announced from the back, strutting across the stage in a bright yellow leather jacket over his green jumpsuit, along with high black boots. He posed at the end of the runway, cocking his hips as he rested a hand on his red belt. Changing the pose a couple of times, he returned to the back, only to return in a brand new outfit, this one made of a loose floral material. He repeated this a couple of times, each time returning in an outfit more outlandish than the ones before.

When he exited for the last time, he was sporting only his classic jumpsuit.

"I must thank you all for coming tonight." He spoke into a microphone, standing straight at the end of the runway, the mic clasped between both of his hands. He continued to blab into the microphone about youth and beauty. Sasuke had a hard time paying attention and an even harder time hearing the enthusiastic model over the screaming of the fangirls. He thought _he_ had had it bad.

As the lights to the venue came back on, Hinata quickly tugged on Sasuke's arm, pulling him out of the audience as Lee jumped off of the stage to talk to his many fans. They exited to the lobby, where Hinata pulled him to the elevator.

"I read that you can get onto the roof." She told him as she pressed the button. The door opened immediately, and they walked on. She squinted at the buttons. None of the options said roof, but she pressed the topmost button. The doors slid closed.

They ended up in a dark, narrow hallway. Hinata lit up the space with her phone's flashlight, finding her way to a staircase. Sasuke followed silently, watching her scale the steps and push open a door, exposing them to the darkness. They climbed outside and walked to the edge of the roof. They were high enough to look over the skyline of the city. It sprawled out before them, the rounded tan buildings lit up through small windows in the darkness. Above them, a full moon hung with a splattering of stars.

The moonlight was soft, and lit up her face perfectly. She turned to smile up at him. She was close, too close, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

He looked into her eyes. For a moment he forgot their situation, lost in her quiet beauty.

"Yeah."

Somehow his hand had cupped her cheek. Somehow he was only inches away from her. His face was drawing closer to hers, his eyes sliding closed as his lips approached hers.

Soft, as he had expected.

As quickly as the contact had been made, it was ended. Hinata drew away from him, her steps taking her a suitable distance away from him. His hand dropped to his side, where it belonged. Her wide eyes met his, unwavering as she took in a breath.

"I'm pregnant." Her voice was almost too soft for him to hear as she reminded him. "With Naruto's child."


	13. Chapter 13

They had resigned to a quiet discomfort for the rest of their trip, only speaking to each other when necessary. He slept on the floor that night. They drove home in silence. Hinata kept her arms hugged around her middle.

"I'll get the bags." He grunted as they pulled into his parking spot, avoiding looking at her. She made no noise, but climbed out of the car, heeding his wishes.

She kept her arms wrapped around herself as she approached his door. She wasn't sure what feelings were swirling about in her stomach, but she couldn't afford to get involved with Sasuke.

At first, she had been so nervous about moving in with the stoic man. She knew him the least out of all their classmates, and despite Naruto's insistence that Sasuke was a great person, she had never been privy to evidence of that. But as the days passed by, she found herself enjoying his company and stunned by the amount of kindness he had for her. He truly had no reason to care for her as much as he had, and she was nothing if not grateful…

But the evidence of her love for Naruto was growing inside her womb. Of course she would always love the father of her child, but the feelings had dwindled to a kind of platonic love, she loved him like she loved Kiba, or Shino. But would Sasuke see that? Would it be fair to enter a relationship with Sasuke when she had already given herself to another man, his best friend, no less?

Her movements were methodical, she almost didn't notice the piece of paper taped to the door. She plucked it from the wood, her fingers tightening around the parchments as she read the messy scrolling.

"Hinata – I tried to visit, but you appear to be on a trip. I will come back later."

It wasn't signed. It didn't need to be.

Footsteps on the steps pulled her attention to Sasuke. She crinkled the note, putting it in her pocket for the moment. Unlocking the door, she held it open for Sasuke as he lugged their baggage into the apartment. She pulled her bag into her room and shut the door, before pulling the note back out.

She curled into a ball on the bed as she stared at it, tears welling in her eyes. There was no way she could do this on her own. Sasuke had already done so much for her, and now they were in danger.

Drawing her phone out of her pocket, she dialed a familiar number, pressing it against her ear as it rang, once, twice, thrice…

He picked up right before her call was forwarded to his answering machine, his raspy voice welcome to her ears, though a little loud.

"It's Hinata." She mumbled into the phone. The man on the other end paused for a moment, before a deep laugh echoed in her ears.

"It's about time! You have a lot of explaining to do! Akamaru, Hinata called!"

Barking now accompanied his voice on the other end of the phone. Hinata would have giggled, if she hadn't been so close to tears.

"I'm sorry for disappearing, Kiba, but I have a bit of a problem right now. I was hoping you could help me."

"Of course, Hinata. What's up?"

Hinata had locked herself in her room. He wasn't surprised, he wasn't angry, but he was certainly irritated. The volume of the television wasn't loud enough to drown out his erratic thoughts. As he swiped through his phone in an attempt to ignore the thoughts, they only grew louder.

Dinner approached, and his stomach growled. He waited, but when Hinata finally made an appearance, she was dressed in her waitressing uniform. She pulled at the hum of her skirt self-consciously as she entered the room, avoiding eye contact with him. He rose to retrieve his keys, but her soft voice stopped him.

"Someone else is driving me today."

He stopped in his tracks, glancing back at her to make sure he heard her correctly. She looked like she had more to say, but under his harsh gaze, she shrunk back, placing one hand protectively over her heart. Without another word, she scurried out of the apartment, leaving him alone with him thoughts.

* * *

She scooted into the driver's seat of Kiba's car. Akamaru poked his head from the backseat to greet her. She petted him affectionately, having missed the dog for the past few months. The car smelled like him, but that was tolerable.

"Hinata, how are you?" Kiba's eyes glanced up and down her body, looking for any signs of injury. She wrapped her arms protectively around her belly. Maybe she wasn't showing as much as she thought she was, or maybe Kiba was simply dense, but he didn't seem to realize that she was pregnant.

"I'm fine, except for…" she halted, unable to bring herself to say his name. Kiba glanced up at the door from which she came, narrowing his eyes as if that would help him see through the door.

"Yeah, I'm sorry we can't do much." He turned his attention back to her. "As I said on the phone, unless he actually threatens or harms you, it's out of our hands. He technically already served his sentence in his country, so he's free to be here. I can help you look into restraining orders, though."

"I don't know." Hinata played with the hem of her shirt. "I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. I don't want to burden anyone."

"Well, I don't mind looking after you when I'm off-duty." Kiba grinned at her. He stepped on the gas, finally moving the car forward now that he had made sure she was okay.


	14. Chapter 14

Hinata had been getting someone else to drive to work over the past couple of weeks. Sasuke was fine with that. If she wanted to cut him out of her life, he would respect her boundaries. He refused to acknowledge the irritation that bubbled in his gut when she wordlessly exited the apartment in the mornings, or when she would eat her dinner in her own room.

He shouldn't have kissed her.

That much was clear to him the moment he did it, so why did she have to make such a big deal out of it? He stewed in his irritation on the couch, flipping through tv channels to try to distract himself from his annoyance.

His phone rang, breaking his trance. He picked it up, glad for the distraction if nothing else. Naruto's raucous voice rang from the other side, asking Sasuke if he could come over. His first instinct was to refuse, but even the thought of hanging out with Naruto was better than stewing in his own self-pity.

When he arrived at the boy's house, he was greeted by the unfortunate sight of the rest of the group gathered in the small space.

"You invited Sasuke?" Kiba scowled at the boy, Akamaru mirroring the sentiment with a short growl. Sasuke fought the urge to kick the large white dog, instead planting himself on the couch with Shikamaru and Choji. Kiba sat at Naruto's square table with TenTen, Sakura, and Ino. Neji and Shino stood idly in the kitchen, where Neji was tending to something on the stove.

"I see the girls have been confined to their own table." Sasuke observed, making eye contact with Kiba. The boy reacted immediately, choking something out about how manly he happened to be. Naruto plopped on the couch between Sasuke and Shikamaru, shouting something back at Kiba about being too damn loud.

Ironic.

Neji emerged from the kitchen area, wielding a hot frying pan. He had an orange apron tied around his front, no doubt an addition proposed by Naruto.

"I need a baking sheet." Neji announced, his face deadpan. Behind him, Shino had already begun to sift through drawers to find the desired object.

"What's a baking sheet?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, squinting his eyes in concentration.

"You don't know what a baking sheet is?" Sakura yelled from her place at the table, her green eyes flashing indignantly at Naruto.

"He may not know what it is, but he has one." Shino produced a thin metal sheet from a cupboard, placing it on the table where the girls sat. Neji deposited whatever was in his pan onto the sheet. Shino turned to address the room once more. "Why does Naruto have a baking sheet and not know what it is? Hinata probably bought one for him."

"Yeah, she probably did." Naruto beamed, folding his arms behind him and inadvertently knocking both Sasuke and Shikamaru with his elbows. "Hinata was great."

"I hope she's doing okay." TenTen chimed in, her eyes darting to Neji. "Have you heard from her?"

"Yeah, she texts me every so often." Neji focused on separating his almonds on the baking sheet. "She seems to be doing well."

"I still think that we should find her." Ino butted in, folding her arms across her chest. "If she's our friend, it's our duty to make sure she's actually doing well."

"She's fine." Kiba now added his opinion. As heads now turned to him, he rested his chin in his hand. "She texted me a few days ago and asked if I could start taking her to and from work."

Sasuke tensed at his words. Hinata had asked the _mutt_ to drive her? The dog boy knew where they _lived_?

"She's doing okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I mean she's put on a little weight, but other than that she's completely normal."

"I can't believe she contacted you and not me." Shino muttered, barely audible from the corner he had positioned himself in.

"Hey, she just thinks I'm cool because I'm a cop!" Kiba grinned, folding his arms behind his head cockily. The conversation then turned into an argument about Kiba's coolness. The sides were pretty clear: it was Kiba against everyone else. Sasuke payed less attention as they devolved into useless shouting. The hours didn't seem to go by quickly enough.

In the end, he excused himself, or rather he got up and left while everyone else was engrossed in some inane argument.

When he got home, he noticed a white-haired figure standing at his door, dressed in a slightly disheveled white suit. A green tie hung loosely from his neck.

"What do you want?" Sasuke bit out a little roughly as he approached his door. The young man turned, a polite smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm looking for Hinata. This is her apartment, is it not?" the man tilted his head slightly, regarding Sasuke with cool blue eyes.

"It's not her apartment." Sasuke brushed past the man, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

"I was sure she lived here." The man behind him mused softly, touching his fingers to his chin in thought. His gaze raised again to Sasuke. "Would you happen to know where she is?"

"No."

Sasuke slammed the door without a second thought.


	15. Chapter 15

She sat at an empty table, finishing her midnight dinner as her thumb wavered over her phone. Kiba had been called a few hours ago to cover someone's shift, so he wouldn't be able to pick her up tonight. Sasuke was her last resort to go home that night, but fear twisted her gut as she stared at the message she had composed to him. He had been distant since their kiss, angry at her, even. She knew that she hadn't helped the situation, but she felt as though he had withdrawn himself from her.

She sent the message anyway. Only a few seconds later, his reply popped onto her screen. He was on his way. She relaxed in her chair, her shoulders slumping a bit in relief as she turned back to pick at her dinner, or rather, someone else's rejected dinner. She disposed of the container and the food on her way out. It never took Sasuke too long to get here.

The cold November air greeted her as she pushed open the door to the restaurant. She had forgotten her coat today. She shivered, goosebumps pricking on her arms as she hugged them close to her body. Her legs shivered, naked to the biting cold. Forcing herself to move, she took a few steps into the parking lot.

"Hinata?"

She froze.

The voice was pleasant, slipping off of the speaker's tongue easily. She knew that voice. Her hands pulled closer to her body. Her legs were trembling now for an entirely different reason.

Sasuke, she had to find Sasuke, but her vision was swimming. A pair of headlights lit up the small lot. If she could only get to the car, she would be fine. Too late, she began moving, only to realize that he had positioned himself in front of her. The dim lights from the car and the sparse streetlights lit up from behind him, casting him in shadows but exposing her to his gaze.

"I've been looking for you for so long, Hinata." He took a step toward her, she took a step back. His voice was even as he spoke, almost devoid of emotion. But his eyes stared into hers, almost unnatural in their fixation. "I want to repair our marriage."

She stumbled back a few more steps, her mouth dry but her throat working to swallow her saliva. Her arms moved to cover her belly…

His eyes narrowed as he followed the movement. His mouth, which had been previously stretched into a polite smile, warped into a grimace.

"Please tell me that you've only put on weight." Emotion seeped into his words now, a cold anger drenching his words in a sharp venom. There was no kindness in his eyes now, they watched her with a different intensity. She didn't have to answer him for him to know the answer.

"Who did this to you?" his volume was rising now, too, as he stepped closer to her. She quaked under his hard stare. "Or did you let this happen? Who was it? It was that fool that stole you from me, wasn't it? Was it _him_?"

A soft gasp escaped her as he reached for her. His eyes widened and then softened at the sound, his face melting from frigid to soft in a matter of seconds. The hand that had been stretched for her arm now rose to cup her face. His fingers caressed the soft skin of her cheek slowly. He relished the feeling.

"There's no need to be scared, my princess." He spoke as softly as he had when he first greeted her, as soft as his touch on her skin. The smile had returned, but still his eyes were lifeless. Something was missing.

"I can help you get rid of it."

She wrenched away from him, but realized too late that she had backed herself inches away from the wall of the diner. Her fingertips trembled as she felt the rough brick behind her, pressing her palms against the coldness in an attempt to distract herself from the figure looming above her. He had placed his hand next to her head, he was leaning in closer.

"What are you doing?"

The deep voice drew Toneri out of his trance. Hinata peeked behind him to see Sasuke. His hands were shoved in his pockets, his posture was relaxed, shoulders slumped. But his mouth was pressed into a hard line, his dark eyes seethed anger.

Toneri stepped away from her, turning so that he could fully face his new challenger. He placed himself in front of Hinata, as if protecting her from Sasuke.

"Who are you?" Toneri's voice was icy once again. The fear that pulsated down her spine at that voice was enough for her to push past her once-kidnapper, stumbling more than walking toward Sasuke. She grasped onto him for stability after she had crossed the few feet to him. He didn't move to steady her, his eyes never left Toneri.

"Get away from my wife." Toneri's voice had raised once again, anger had washed over him. His jaw clenched, his eyes focused on where Hinata's hands grasped Sasuke's arm.

"I'm not your wife." Hinata finally spoke, her fingers tightening almost painfully around Sasuke's forearm. Now that she had placed herself behind Sasuke, she was confident enough to fight back. She knew Toneri wouldn't fight Sasuke. Not right now.

"Hinata, I know that you were unhappy in our relationship. But we can fix that." Toneri smiled once again, reverting back to his pleasant façade. The sound of her voice after so long had soothed him, but as she shook her head at his proposal, he snapped once again.

"I gave you everything! Anything you wanted, I got for you. I gave you flowers, I gave you cinnamon rolls, I kept you in a nice big house." He drew closer, becoming more and more unhinged with every step. "You were always so ungrateful. What do I have to do to make you happy?"

"Just leave me alone." Her voice was almost too soft to hear. Tears had appeared in the corners of her eyes, even as she attempted to blink them away. "Please."

Toneri stood still, his wild eyes still trained on her.

"Leave." Sasuke spoke finally. Toneri's eyes flickered to Sasuke's. Their intense glares clashed. The white-clad man withdrew into himself, becoming calm once more, but not pleasant. With one last glance at Hinata, he turned, disappearing once again into the shadows.

Sasuke barely had time to gather himself before Hinata wrapped her arms fully around his torso, sobs finally racking her body as her tears seeped through his sweatshirt. Sasuke wrapped his own arms around her, attempting to support both their weights as she collapsed into him.

"Can you make it to the car?" he whispered. It was too cold outside for this shit. She nodded silently against his chest, and with his arm around her waist, they made it to his car. As he climbed into the driver's seat, she curled in on herself as much as she could, leaning against the cold glass of the passenger window.

He allowed her to sob quietly on the way home. She had drawn out her phone and seemed to be sending a shaky message to someone. Kiba, he assumed. When they made it to his apartment, she collapsed onto the couch. He sat next to her, unsure of the right actions to take in this situation.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, her tears leaking from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She spoke, her voice wavering. He snorted, the sound causing her to jump.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I just." Hinata paused, watching her hands wringing together in her lap. "I should have told you sooner. I thought that I was free from him when Naruto saved me from him years ago, but… He texted me a few weeks ago and told me that he was back. I blocked the number, so he mailed a letter to our apartment." Her voice caught in her throat. He reached around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. One of her hands moved to grip his shirt.

"When we got back from Suna, there was a note on the door from him. He said that he had been here, and that he was going to come back. I was scared, I called Kiba and he said that there was nothing they could do. I should have told you, too, but I didn't want to bother you. I thought that if I ignored him, he would just go away."

Things were starting to connect in Sasuke's head. That had been the same guy that had showed up last week looking for Hinata. His hand tightened unconsciously on her shoulder. He had been pushing her away when she needed him.

"Can you sleep with me tonight?" Hinata's wide eyes peered up at him. It amazed him how innocent she could look, even when she was pregnant with another man's child and asking him a question like that.

"Yeah." He released her from his grip. She walked in front of him to his bedroom. He stared after her for a bit before bending down and grasping the couch from below.

Although the thought of sleeping in his own bed was tempting, it would probably be better if he avoided sleeping in it with her.

For now.


	16. Chapter 16

He awoke to a sore shoulder and a numb arm from the way he had fallen asleep twisted on the couch, facing its back in his reluctance to stare at Hinata as she slept. He hissed as he twisted on the couch, freeing the dead limb from beneath him to allow his blood to start circulating again.

As his eyes fell on her form, he found quickly that she was not asleep. Her eyelids fluttered as though she was fighting the urge to fall back into slumber, and a smile had curved onto her slips as she watched him.

"Good morning." Her voice was heavy with sleep. He pushed himself into a sitting position, calculating how he would get her over the couch that they had wedged in between the door and the bed.

"Sasuke." Her voice pulled his attention back to her, with her tangled mess of hair and the sheets pulled up tight against her as she sat in her bed. Not that that was necessary, since she had fallen asleep in her uniform last night. Still, a faint blush dusted her cheeks as she glanced away. "I have to get dressed."

Of course, he had to get dressed, too. So he left her alone as he clambered over the back of the couch, pulling on his own clothes and ignoring the irritation that brewed in his mind at the fact that they weren't a couple and he couldn't watch her get dressed.

When he emerged from the bathroom he found that she had already left her room and was now perusing his selection of food in the cabinet. It had been awhile since he had restocked on food, what with her ignoring him and everything. He had been picking up food from shitty fast food drive-throughs and she had been… Well, he didn't really know what she had been eating. He had assumed that between the restaurant and Kiba's overbearing protective nature, she had been kept well-fed.

"I can go to the store later." He told her as he hovered behind her, frowning at how low he had allowed his rations to run. The only thing left in the cabinet was a collection of instant ramen. Which he knew he had never purchased.

Surely there would be something in his fridge, he assumed, only to be disappointed as he pulled it open to reveal a whole lot of nothing. His frown deepened.

"I can go to the store now." He grumbled, snatching his wallet and keys from the counter.

"Sasuke." She called after him as he approached the door. He turned, his expression blank as she hovered behind him, her hands on her stomach and a blush on her cheeks.

"I'm hungry now."

"I'll pick you something up on the way back."

"No." her tone was uncharacteristically desperate, and tears seemed to be forming in her eyes. "I need food now."

"Oh." He forced out as he stared at her. "We could go pick food up from somewhere."

Her face brightened immediately, a smile gracing her lovely face.

"I'll get my coat."

She returned a moment later in a long blue coat, a hat secured over her ears. She frowned at him.

"Aren't you going to be cold?"

"I'm used to the cold. I spent a winter in Shimo." He smirked at her, even as she peered around the room, trying to find a hat in the open.

"Come on."

She followed him reluctantly, a small pout forming on her lips as they exited the apartment. He drove them to a small restaurant on the outskirts of town, the opposite direction of where any of their acquaintances lived or frequented. They were seated in a small booth tucked into a corner. The restaurant was empty except for the two of them and a party of older folk nearer to the door.

She remained skittish, glancing frantically between her menu and the door.

"Are you worried someone will see you?" Sasuke glanced at her.

"Not really. This isn't the type of place anyone we know would come to at nine on a Tuesday." She dropped her gaze back to her menu, a frown on her face as she studied the items. "I can't believe they don't have cinnamon buns."

He frowned, remembering that cinnamon buns, of all things, had been one of the reasons that guy from last night had listed for Hinata to love him. Sasuke frowned as he remembered more of that night. He had been angry when he saw the guy towering over Hinata, so angry that he hadn't really listened to anything her attacker had said, motivated only by his instinct to keep Hinata away from him.

But, as he recalled, he had called Hinata his wife.

He chose his words carefully as he lifted his gaze from his menu to her face.

"What about your husband?"

She started at the word, her cheeks flushing an angry red as her eyes grew wide. She held his gaze for all of one millisecond before she focused on something far away. He wouldn't know what, since his eyes never left hers.

"Kiba said that they're going to start keeping an eye on him."

The waiter appeared then, greeting them cheerfully and apologizing for the wait. After he left, Hinata spoke again, her voice a whisper that he had to strain to hear.

"I think in his own twisted way, Toneri wants me to be happy. We never actually married, but he's convinced himself that I belong to him. I'm not sure about the details, but he told me we were destined to be together. So he took me."

Another moment of silence passed between them. Sasuke realized that, even though he lived with her, he didn't really know all that much about her. He knew details, he was told what everyone else already knew, but he had never directly asked her…

"What happened, exactly, while I was gone?"

"Which time?"

Her voice was sweet, but the slight edge surprised him, and even her. Her eyes grew wide as a hand found itself to her mouth.

"I didn't mean it like—"

"It's fine." He smirked at her, chuckling slightly at the rising heat in her cheeks.

"Everything returned to normal after you left. After the war." Her eyes peeked shyly at him from under her lashes. "Konoha seemed safer than it had in years. So everyone moved on as if nothing had happened. Naruto and Sakura were happier than they had been in years. You weren't back yet, but you were safe. It was about two years later that Toneri appeared in the village. He approached me late at night after I had failed a confession to Naruto. He tried to take me then, but Naruto stopped him. So instead, he broke into the Hyuga estate and took my sister.

"I was completely distraught. I love my sister more than anything, and having her taken by someone was… I would have done anything to get her back. I didn't know how the police investigation was going, but it was taking so long. So when Toneri contacted me, and told me that he'd let her go if I took her place, of course, I had to go.

"I was with him for a couple of days. He didn't let Hanabi go, and worse, he found out about my feelings for Naruto. He was very angry."

She settled into silence for a few moments. Sasuke peered at her face, trying to read her expression. She seemed detached, as if trying to distance herself from the memories. Still, her voice shook as she started again.

"There was a period of time that I don't remember. He must have drugged me or… I don't know what he did while I was in that state. All I know is that when I woke up, Naruto was there."

Their food arrived, carried by the plucky waiter who failed to read the mood at the table. He set down their food and Hinata thanked him with a soft smile, which faded quickly with the waiter's departure. A blush colored her cheeks as she studied his face.

"Um, so anyway, Naruto confessed to me on our way back to Konoha. We started dating after that. We tried to keep it secret, but with Naruto that only lasted a few days." A small giggle escaped her before her eyes drooped in silence once again. "Of course, after father found out, he was furious. He was already on edge after Hanabi had been taken, he was angry at me for taking action on my own, and this was too much for him.

"I wasn't sad though. I was sad to leave college, and I was sad to leave Neji and Hanabi. But I wasn't completely separated from them. And I truly enjoyed my time with Naruto. And…"

She placed her hands over her stomach, a small smile on her face. He leaned back, his arms crossed.

"Um."

Her voice cut into his swirling emotions. She looked at him expectantly.

Of course, she wanted to know how he felt. He wasn't sure how to express his emotions. The burning anger, the aggravating jealousy. So, he settled on something simple.

"You remind me of my brother."

"Is that why you kissed me?"

He snorted, turning away from her as a blush dusted his cheeks. That was new.

"You just love your sister a lot." He offered.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I don't really understand."

His head jerked back to her. She had folded her hands in her lap, absently playing with her fingers as she watched them with a pinched brow.

"I don't know much about your brother. But from what I've been told, he was…" she trailed off, unsure of how to address the sensitive topic. He sighed heavily next to her. Of course, Itachi's situation wasn't an easy one to grasp, and he hadn't even settled on how he felt about the whole debacle.

"It's complicated." He finally looked down at his food, taking a bite if only to give himself time to formulate a response. "Itachi did horrible things for good reasons."

"I see."

Another moment of silence passed between them.

"I don't really know that much about you." Her voice was small, barely audible to him against the wind. She refused to look up at him, instead jabbing at her pancakes with her fork, apparently her appetite had waned over the conversation.

"There's not much to know."

"There's so much."

Her fingers tightened on her fork.

"I didn't know you well back when you left for Orochimaru, but I knew enough to be worried. We were all worried. You were always so lonely, and then you left with someone who could hurt you. I don't understand why. I don't understand you at all."

He thought a moment, scooping a few bites of food into his mouth as he watched her do the same, unable to keep her hunger at bay even as she awaited his answer.

"I was angry back then." He finally supplied as his fork scraped against an empty plate. "I wanted someone to pay for the pain I felt. Or I at least wanted to feel like someone understood. Orochimaru offered me vengeance, and he fueled my rage." Sasuke provided. She continued to eat, but her gaze hovered on him, waiting for him to continue.

But she didn't need to know about what happened to him there.

She didn't need to know about what he did there.

"He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

After the war, he had slunk back into his underground hideouts. Even his own friends had crawled back to him. Remembering them twisted his gut. He wasn't sure if it was anger or sadness.

"Are you afraid he'll come back?"

"Not at all."

* * *

Toneri paced back and forth in front of the dresser. He hadn't planned to stay here long, but it appeared that Hinata would require a little more convincing. He pulled his suitcase onto the bed. Before, he had been fine keeping things in there. He didn't think he'd be here long.

There wasn't much kept inside, anyway. A few copies of his suit, but he hadn't changed in a while. How could he focus on anything else when she still evaded his grasp. He threw the garments carelessly into a drawer.

Beneath those were his true prized possessions.

They were her, at every stage of her life, in every imaginable position. She was his, he knew that from a very young age, so he had become obsessed with knowing everything about her. Photographers were more than happy to accept his large sums of money to capture the heiress for him.

Those in his suitcase were just his favorites. There were many back at home.

He picked up a picture of her at random. It was taken through a window. She was seated in a desk a row away from the window, her head tilted in a soft smile at something in the next row. From the angle it was taken, it looked like she was smiling at the camera.

He could pretend that she was smiling at him.

And she would be, soon. He smiled as he began to place the pictures around the room. Soon she would be here. He could hold her. He could finally make her his.

But first, he would have to remove a few inconveniences.


End file.
